Surrender
by ElysianDreamCatcher
Summary: Begins just as Henry is awoken from the sleeping curse in episode 1.22. Broken by Henry's near death, Regina decides she will do anything to keep Henry from getting caught in the crossfire ever again. Eventual SwanQueen. (The sequel, Goslings, is now in progress.)
1. 1 - Shock

I don't own any of these characters. Please don't sue me.

* * *

Chapter 1 - Shock

* * *

Regina's head lifted and she looked out through tear-clouded eyes after the wave of light passed through her. Her heart stopped and she waited, watching Emma hover over her son's head.

"I love you, too. You saved me," she heard Henry say.

With a wail Regina fell to her knees and bowed her head. For a long moment her racking sobs were all that could be heard in the room.

Emma looked down at her son, "Henry, what's going on?"

"The curse... I think you broke it!"

"That was true love's kiss," Blue whispered in shock. Shaking her head she turned and looked down at Regina on the floor. "If I were you, your Majesty, I'd find a place to hide."

Her sobs ceased abruptly and Regina's head snapped up. She looked around quickly as if suddenly realizing where she was. Clamoring to her feet she locked eyes on Emma and took a single step forward. "That won't be necessary Blue," she replied, her eyes never leaving Emma's.

Taking a deep breath, Regina spoke slowly, "This war, between me and Snow… I almost killed my son." Regina choked back a gasp, tears streaming down her cheeks. "This can't go on. I can't just hide."

Taking another step towards Emma, Regina swallowed hard and extended her arms, hands closed, palms up. "I surrender."

* * *

"Surrender," Emma asked, suddenly startled by the change in the room.

Regina nodded mutely as she collapsed on a hard plastic chair, her elbow resting on her knees with her wrists still exposed.

Emma furrowed her brow. "You're giving up?"

She could see the despair and hopelessness in her eyes as Regina looked up. "Nothing in this world is more important to me than my son. I know that things will not end well for me…" Regina paused to turn and cast her eyes on Henry, laying still in the hospital bed, "but things have to end well for him."

Regina turned back to Emma, "I'm counting on you to keep him safe and loved." With that the tears began falling again and her head fell to her chest.

In that moment, as Emma stared at Regina, only one thing passed through her mind, _"Not a single family who ever took me in, not a single person I've ever met, would have done this for me."_

Regina looked up to see Emma standing right in front of her, handcuffs dangling from her fingers.

Emma dropped to a knee to bring herself to eye level as she snapped the cuffs around Regina's wrists. "I have no idea what's about to happen, but I promise you this. I will _not_ let Henry lose his mother."

* * *

When Snow and David found them, little had changed. Regina was still seated with her head bowed and eyes downcast, Emma was pacing nervously near the door to Henry's room, and Henry laid sleeping on the hospital bed.

"Emma," Snow cried out as she rushed in and wrapped her arms around her daughter.

Feeling suddenly awkward, Emma carefully lifted her arms and patted Snow on the back slowly.

Snow pulled away slightly to look her in the eyes, "You did it. You saved us."

David smiled at the scene before gazing around the room, seeing Henry first he sucked in a quick breath, then his eyes fell on the brunette sitting silently against the wall. "Regina," he spat.

All eyes turned to her, including Henry's as he stirred from slumber. She raised her head slowly, as if tired, and looked first to Snow and David, before her eyes settled on Emma. She said nothing, but she didn't have to.

Emma cleared her throat, drawing attention to herself. "I have accepted her surrender," she announced awkwardly.

Snow looked back and forth between Emma and Regina in confusion before settling her eyes on Emma. "She surrendered? Why?"

Emma let out a tired sigh. "She doesn't want to risk Henry getting hurt." She left the _"again"_ unsaid.

It was David who eventually broke the silence. "So what do we do now?" He turned to face Regina. "She has to be punished for what she's done."

"I do," Regina replied, finally speaking. "I have a few thoughts on that."

"Do you really expect us to let you pick your own punishment," David asked incredulously.

"Let's just hear her out," Emma replied, trying to keep everyone calm. As she watched, the brunette's eyes looked to Henry and then out into the hall. Taking the hint, Emma continued quietly, "But not in front of the kid."

Snow and David stepped into the hall first, followed by a tense Emma and a dragging Regina.

"So what kind of slap on the wrist did you have in mind," David asked.

"David," Emma chastised. "You seriously need to chill out."

His lip curled in distaste, but he took a deep breath and released it slowly before nodding at Regina.

"It has to be public," Regina began. "In the town hall perhaps. Somewhere that a large number of people can gather to watch." She looked to Emma. "People have to know that justice has been done."

Regina turned to Snow. "You'll need to make some sort of statement. Something about the crimes I've committed." Regina paused. "Then I'll express my sorrow for the harm I've caused and plead for mercy… Then you'll pass judgment."

Turning to David she continued. "You'll tie my hands and secure them above my head. Taking a knife or scissors you'll cut through my upper garment, exposing my back." Regina swallowed hard. "Then you'll take up the bull whip."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Emma exclaimed, waving her arms back and forth. "What the hell Regina?"

Regina closed her eyes briefly before turning back to Emma. "This is the way it has to be. I have to pay for my sins. I have to know pain. I have to know humiliation. And I have to be broken."

Emma's eyes widened in stunned silence.

Turning back to David, Regina continued, "And it has to be you that does it. You have the motive to punish me, the physical strength to carry it out, and the townsfolk will have no doubts about you going easy on me… and yet… You're an honorable man whom I trust not to go too far."

"How many lashes," he asked.

"As many as needed," Regina replied, considering. "Two hundred perhaps?"

This time it was Snow's eyes that widened as she exclaimed, "I don't think anyone's ever received more than fifty!"

Regina swallowed again. "Those that would have deserved more were executed."

The word hung in the air as all four lost themselves briefly in their own thoughts.

"When it's done," Regina continued, "you'll let me down. I will renounce all claim to the throne. I will swear fealty to you both. And I will kiss your boots."

Emma, Snow, and David all visibly deflated at the words.

"Fuck," Emma said quietly. "This is barbaric."

"I'm a monster, Emma. It has to be barbaric."


	2. 2 - Fear

Chapter 2 - Fear

* * *

 _"I'm a monster, Emma. It has to be barbaric."_

Henry heard the words, but put them aside for later. Instead he stepped quietly into the hallway and called out, "Hey guys, you should come see this."

All eyes turned to Henry as he walked back into his hospital room.

Regina was the first to follow him in. Her eyes widened and nostrils flared as she saw the purple green mist moving towards them outside the window.

Henry was startled by his mother's cuffed hands grabbing his right shoulder and spinning him around to face her. Suddenly her arms were up and looping over him before pulling him close and turning him away from what was coming.

Upon seeing this Emma leapt forward and wrapped her arms around them both, cocooning Henry between them. Her eyes scrunched closed as she buried her face in the brunettes hair and prayed she wasn't about to be sprayed with broken glass.

Instead the mist passed through the windows as if they were open before enveloping everyone inside.

After a tense moment both women lifted their heads and cautiously glanced about the room. David had moved forward and was standing inches from the window, looking out with purpose. Snow remained near the door, her eyes wide with shock and unsure of what had just happened.

"What was that," Emma asked slowly.

Regina could feel the subtle tingle beneath her skin, but Henry's reply was quicker.

"Magic."

The word seemed to snap Snow out of her fog. Stepping forward she pulled Emma away from Regina and levelled her with a glare. "Is this your doing?"

Regina chose to close her eyes rather than roll them. Opening them again she replied, "Really, Snow? I've been with Emma and Henry this entire time."

"Besides," Emma interrupted, "She doesn't have the ingredient needed to bring magic back. Gold does."

"Gold," David asked before recognition dawned. "Are you saying Rumpelstiltskin brought magic back? How would he even do that?"

"Before I woke Henry up," Emma began. "Regina and I went to him to find a way to save Henry. He sent me into a cave below the library to slay a dragon and retrieve a giant gold egg. I was tricked into giving it to him after he'd bound and gagged Regina."

Emma sighed. "I don't know what's worse. Me claiming to have slayed a dragon, or it actually being true,

"Dragon. Golden egg," David muttered. Looking up he spoke more firmly, "Maleficent."

Regina's head spun to face him. "How did you know Maleficent was imprisoned beneath the library?"

David laughed grimly. "I didn't. But I did once feed her a golden egg as a payment for Rumpelstiltskin."

"You fed a dragon," Henry asked, drawing everyone's attention back to the boy.

After a series of none too subtle glances, Regina reluctantly raised her arms and pulled away from her son.

"So this thing we have to do," David began, changing the subject. "I suppose we should do it tomorrow. Maybe in the afternoon." After brief pause he continued, "What should we do with her until then?"

"Let me take her and Henry home," Emma began.

"Absolutely not."

"You can't be serious."

"No," Regina replied with finality.

They all turned to her, surprised that she didn't want to return home with Henry.

"Our home isn't safe for Henry, at least not until after tomorrow afternoon." Regina continued, "He needs to be someplace less likely to be stormed by angry peasants."

"Really, Regina," Emma asked in exasperation

"No. She's right," Snow agreed. "Henry wouldn't be safe in the mayor's mansion. He needs to come home with us."

Emma could see the pang caused by Snow's words in Regina's face. Sighing she said, "Well, looks like we're all going back to the loft."

When the other three adults all snapped their eyes to her, Emma continued. "If her house isn't safe for Henry, it's not safe for her either, and I'm not just going to leave her in lockup overnight, so don't even ask."

"Do you really expect me to let that woman into our home," Snow asked incredulously. "She could kill us all in our sleep. And if you think those handcuffs will do any good now that magic is back…" Snow trailed off, shaking her head.

"So we'll take shifts and keep an eye on her. I don't see why this is such a big deal."

David opened his mouth to speak, but Emma cut him off. "Do you really think Regina's going to try something with Henry asleep in the next room?"

* * *

Regina was unable to find a graceful way to slip into the back of a police cruiser while handcuffed, so she just plopped down. Seconds later the right door opened and Henry scampered in to sit beside her.

Henry looked to his mother, who kept her hands in front of her and her eyes downcast. He thought for a moment as he put his seatbelt on before asking, "Are you okay mom? I don't think I've ever seen you down like this."

The brunette turned to her son and tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes and even she could tell it had to look forced. Sighing she turned to stare at the rubber floor mat beneath her feet. "I almost killed you Henry."

"But you didn't," he replied simply.

Emma glanced back in the rearview mirror and saw the tears beginning to form in Regina's eyes. Looking back to the road she made the conscious decision to keep her mouth shut and let them have this moment before they we're all forced back into close quarters back at the loft.

"That doesn't matter, Henry. I did something awful, something selfish, and you paid the price for it. That kills me," Regina tried to explain.

Henry considered for a moment before asking, "Is that why you surrendered?"

Regina's shoulders slumped forward. "I surrendered to make sure that you are never caught in the crossfire again."

Turning sideways to look directly at her son, she continued, "Almost thirty years ago I cast the dark curse in the hope that I'd be able find happiness in a new land. It took me 18 years here, but I eventually found it in you,"

Emma smiled slightly as she listened.

"You're my happiness, Henry, the only thing in my life that I care about." Regina swallowed hard before continuing, "I tried to put a sleeping curse on Emma because I was afraid. Afraid of losing you. Afraid of what would happen when the curse broke. That fear made me selfish and I…"

Regina let out a shuddery breath. "I almost killed my son."

After a long pause she finished saying, "Nothing else matters now. Nothing but keeping you safe. Even if it's safe from me."

Something about that sounded wrong to Henry, almost ominous. He suddenly remembered what he heard when he'd stepped into the hallway at the hospital. _"I'm a monster, Emma. It has to be barbaric."_

As he began to suspect the context of those words, Henry felt a pit forming in his stomach. "Mom," he asked shakily. "What are they going to do to you tomorrow?"

She could hear the tremble in his words, but for the life of her she had no idea what to say to ease his mind. After a long pause she simply said, "I hurt a lot of people Henry. I have to pay a price for that."

 _"They're going to kill her! I tried to get Emma to break the curse, and she did, and now they're going to kill mom, and it's all my fault!"_ "No. No!" Henry cried out. "You can't let them do it. Emma, you've got to stop them. You're the Savior! You saved everyone else and now I need you to save my mom! If they do this, if they kill her…"

Henry was hyperventilating now. "This is my fault. This all my fault," he cried out between panicked sobs. "I did this. I brought her here, and she broke the curse, and now they're going to kill my mom!"

As Emma pulled the car over on the side the road, Regina tried to comfort their son as best she could. "We don't know that Henry. It doesn't have to end that way."

Emma turned around in her seat to focus on the sobbing child behind her. "Look at me kid," Emma interrupted. "Look at me. Look at me!"

Henry sniffled and raised his head to face her as she continued.

"No one is going to kill your mom, kid. I won't let them. Yes, I am the Savior, and yes, that means saving your mom too. I promise, I'm not going to let them kill her and I'm not going to let them take her away from you."

"But what if they…"

"No, Henry. That's not happening. If I have to load the two of you into my bug and take off for Boston then that's what we'll do. What we won't do, is let them take your mom away from you."

Regina sat in stunned silence. Looking Emma in the eye she could see a hard confidence, the kind that refused to yield. "You'd leave your parents behind for me," she asked timidly.

Emma's eyes flicked from Henry, to Regina, and back. "I'd leave my parents behind for Henry."

Turning back around and preparing to resume driving, Emma finished saying, "A loving mother is something I've never had and I'll be damned if I let my son lose his."


	3. 3 - Anger

Chapter 3 - Anger

* * *

The mood in the loft was somber.

Regina had collapsed onto the couch with Henry huddled next to her. Neither spoke.

David was pacing absently. He felt like he should be doing _something_ , but he couldn't imagine what. It left him agitated.

Snow was in the kitchen, trying to put together dinner, but she kept distracting herself with nervous glances at the others in her home, three family members… and _her_.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Emma could feel the beginnings of a tension headache. Unsure of what she should be doing, she decided to try assisting Mary Margaret in the kitchen.

Snow smiled, glad to have her daughter's company. "Do you want to slice the bread?"

"Sure," Emma chirped. Maneuvering around her _"Friend? Mother? Mary Margaret?"_ She paused her thoughts to pull the bread knife from the block. _"Mary Margaret,"_ she decided.

"Emma," Snow asked quietly. "Is something wrong with Henry?" As they both glanced to the couch she continued, "It's been a long time since I've seen him be that… cuddly… with _her_."

 _"And… the headache is back,"_ Emma thought. She knew she needed to talk to Mary Margaret, but didn't exactly know how. _"Might as well do this like a bandaid."_ "He's afraid that he's never going to see her again," she whispered.

Snow looked her dead in the eyes as she continued, "He's afraid that you're going to kill her tomorrow. And… I don't even know if that's what you're planning, or not."

Thinking back to her conversation with David on the way home, Snow realized that they'd never actually reached a conclusion, just an uneasy consensus. "With magic back she's far too dangerous to keep around. Henry will just…"

"No," Emma said firmly, cutting her off. "Henry will not just anything. He is not losing his mother tomorrow."

"But you're his mother, Emma," Snow tried reminding her.

Emma snorted. "Bullshit."

As Snow drew a deep breath to continue, Emma could feel the beginnings of a tingling in her hand, but she forced it down.

"You are his mother and what we do tomorrow will be to keep both you and him safe." Snow's expression brook no room for disagreement.

After a moment's consideration, Emma asked, "How old was I when you put me through the tree?"

Momentarily startled by the sudden change in the conversation, Snow sputtered, "um… well…"

"It's not that hard of a question. How old was I?"

Snow hung her head guiltily. "Less than an hour old."

Emma swallowed hard and stepped well inside Mary Margaret's personal space. "Do you know how many homes I went through by the time I was Henry's age? How many families beat me, and starved me, and screamed at me, and…" She stopped, drawing in a shaky breath. "Threw me away."

"Oh Emma," Snow began, tears forming in her eyes.

"No." Emma replied. "No. You don't get to say anything because you were the first ones to throw me away."

Snow tried shaking her head to make her stop, but her daughter continued.

"My whole life I grew up feeling worthless, knowing that my own parents left me for dead on the side of a highway." Emma turned to look into the living room, where Henry remained clinging to his mother's side. "I look at Henry, and I think of all the things he hasn't had to go through, because of _her_ …"

Emma reached up and wiped off the tears she just realized were forming in the corners of her eyes. "I owe her," turning back to Mary Margaret, "And you owe me."

Snow took a deep breath and focused on staying strong. "I understand how you feel, but we've known her a lot longer than you have, and as your mother…"

David stopped pacing and turned to look in the kitchen at the crack of hand meeting cheek. Regina and Henry looked up as well.

"You have no right to claim to be my mother," Emma fumed.

Suddenly noticing the fresh attention, Emma grabbed Mary Margaret by the upper arm and dragged her out the door and into the hallway.

David considered following them, but decided his wife could handle herself, and someone need to stay and keep an eye on Regina.

"I don't give a shit what she's done, or who she's hurt, or who you think she's going to hurt in the future. That woman is my son's mother and I will be damned if I'm going to let you take her from him."

"It's not your decision, Emma," Snow replied, beginning to grow angry herself.

Emma rocked back on her heels and huffed. "You owe me, _mother,"_ Emma snarled. "And the only thing I want is to protect my son."

"Saving Regina is not protecting him," Snow argued.

"Do you know what's going to happen if you kill her tomorrow, hmmm," Emma challenged. "Henry will spend the rest of his life consumed by the knowledge that he murdered his mother."

Snow crumpled and shook her head, "No. It wouldn't be…"

"Oh come on," Emma interrupted disgustedly. "You know that is exactly what he is going to think."

"I know," Emma continued, leaning forward for emphasis. "Because he was sobbing about it the whole ride over here."

Her hands rose to cover her face as Snow began trembling.

"So no, you will not kill her. You will go along with the plan Regina suggested, no matter how much I hate it, and when it is all over I'm going to take them both home."

Snow nodded silently.

"And let me be clear. If you change your mind, if you go back on this, I swear to God I will take off with Henry and you will never see or hear from either of us again." Emma clapped a hand onto Mary Margaret's shoulder and leaned in further. "I was a bounty hunter for six years so believe me when I say, _you will never find us._ "

* * *

Emma crept forward into the living room, guided only by the silvery moonlight coming in from outside. When Regina turned her head to look, the moon caught her eyes and for a brief moment they glowed like a cat. Emma was startled, but continued to the couch and sat down next to the brunette.

"Is he sleeping okay," the blonde whispered.

"Yes."

Emma nodded absently, lost in other thoughts. "David and Mary Margaret agreed to go along with your plan. This time tomorrow the three of us should be sleeping soundly back at the mansion."

"I hope so," came the soft reply.

After a long moment spent enjoying the silence, Emma asked, " _Do_ you have your magic back?"

"Why? Worried I'm going to do something?"

"No," Emma replied without hesitation. "It's just… if things go bad tomorrow… I'd just like to have a backup plan, in case we need to get the hell out of Dodge."

"Can you get me my purse," Regina asked.

Without a word, Emma rose and retrieved the bag.

Regina drew out her phone and began typing. Moments later Emma heard her phone ding in the other room.

Seeing Emma's lifted brow, Regina explained, "I've sent you some information, including the combination to my safe. If something does happen… Everything is for Henry,"

"They're asleep. We could bug out right now," Emma offered.

Shaking her head Regina said, "I've hurt you enough. I won't separate you from your parents a second time."

"They're not my parents."

"They could be."

They fell into silence after that.

Sometime later Regina turned to Emma and whispered, "He's such a… precious boy. Don't let him take the path I did."

Emma grabbed her hand and squeezed in reply.


	4. 4 - Pain

Chapter 4 – Pain

* * *

The police cruiser pulled up in front of the town hall. Emma slowed the car and stopped next to the seven dwarves who were waiting to escort the Evil Queen inside. Turning back to face her passenger she said, "You can still change your mind. My bags are packed and in the trunk."

Regina opened her mouth to ask how the blonde had managed to pull that off without her parents noticing, but decided it didn't matter. "It's too risky, for Henry. This is how it must be."

Emma nodded as Grumpy pulled the rear door open to take her inside.

Regina took no notice of the people lining the walk. All she heard were indistinct voices crying out at her. Her internal terror drowned them all out. She was reliving the feeling she would get when the King would summon her to his chambers. She shuddered.

The walk to the council chambers and past the rows of seating passed much the same way. Her attention was drawn to no one. She simply watched the feet of the dwarf in front of her and kept pace. She looked up for the first time when he stepped sideways.

Snow and David weren't dressed as royals, not as they would have been back in the Enchanted Forest, but they did stand like monarchs. Regina examined their posture and bearing. _"Good. They must be credible."_

The three of them stood motionless as the dwarves took up their places near the front of the crowd. Emma came forward along the side wall. Regina couldn't see her, but somehow knew that she wasn't completely alone.

After the noise of the crowd finally abated, Snow spoke. "Greetings my friends. I thank you all for coming today, to be witness to the end of our long nightmare."

"Standing before us," she continued, "is Regina Mills, the mayor of Storybrooke, or as you may more commonly remember her, the Evil Queen."

Shouts, jeers, and insults could be heard coming from the crowd, and Regina felt what she assumed was someone's spit landing on the exposed ankle of her left leg. She ignored it all and remained silent.

"Is there anything you would like to say, _Your Majesty_ , before we continue," Snow asked, loud enough for all present to hear.

She'd been thinking of this, and little else, all morning. Still, she hesitated, unsure of the best course. Making up her mind she turned to face the crowd and drew a deep breath to calm herself. After exhaling slowly she took another breath and began.

"The long and terrible war, between myself and the King and Queen of the White Kingdom, is over. They have won. I stand before you today in defeat."

Emma could see a shift in the crowd. Some were deflating a bit, and others becoming agitated. This wasn't what they were expecting.

Regina closed her eyes briefly to try and get a handle on her emotions. She could feel the darkness, like a snarling, rabid dog, choking itself as it strained against its chain. She could also feel the frightened young woman, terrified of those in front of her, and what she knew was sure to come. "I humbly plead for the rightful victors of this conflict to take mercy on she was beaten."

Regina drew another shuddery breath, trying and failing to maintain control over herself. "I know that I have done truly horrible things, and I know that I am in no way deserving of mercy. But still, I ask."

Turning around, Regina sank to her knees in front of Snow and David. Bowing her head she asked, "Please have mercy upon me."

David glanced to his wife, who nodded.

"Do you, Regina Mills, renounce all claims to the throne, and to the title of Queen, and to dominion over the Enchanted Forest, the land and her people," David asked.

"I do."

"Do you acknowledge Snow White as the rightful monarch and true Queen of the White Kingdom?"

"I do."

"Do you swear fealty to Queen Snow, her husband King David, and the crown princess Emma?"

Emma had grown rather bored of David's near monologue, until her attention snapped to her name and she tried to recall what he had just said.

"I do."

David looked to his wife, who stepped forward and placed one foot forward of the other.

 _"For Henry,"_ Regina thought as she lowered her face to the floor and placed a kiss on the tip of Snow's boot.

* * *

 _"Well isn't this just precious,"_ Rumpelstiltskin thought as he watched from his place near the back of the room.

His right hand drifted down to his pocket where he felt the comfortable weight of the medallion in its protective sack.

 _"I knew they wouldn't have the stomach to punish the witch. Good thing I came prepared."_ Rumpelstiltskin's thoughts wondered back to Belle and how she was likely to react to what was to come. True, _he_ wouldn't be the one to kill Regina, but he knew Belle wouldn't see it that way. _"Some crimes can't go unpunished."_

Rumpelstiltskin was startled out of his thoughts by the loud crack and the woman's cry from the front of the room.

"I'll be damned," he mumbled. _"Looks like someone grew a pair."_

In addition to the sound of the whip and the cries of the witch, Rumpelstiltskin could just make out the voice of Snow White as she counted aloud.

 _"Better,_ " he thought. _"But still not enough. She needs to pay."_

Rumpelstiltskin was next pulled from his thoughts by an unexpected number. Looking up he furrowed his brow to watch the next strike and listen to the subsequent call.

"Fifty-two."

People around him were beginning to become visibly uncomfortable with what they were witnessing. Regina was no longer crying out after being hit. She just sobbed continuously now.

He waited for the counting to stop, but it didn't.

"One hundred one," he heard Snow call.

His vision was improving as people began to rise and filter out the back of the room. Some looked distinctly like they were going to be ill.

One family in particular caught his eye. _"Did someone really think it was a good idea to bring their children here? And not leave before now? And I'm the_ dark _one?"_

Rumpelstiltskin's thoughts once more returned to the medallion in his pocket. _"Belle_ would _prefer that I let go. Is it really worth angering her after this?"_

After Snow called one hundred fifty a final crack from the whip could be heard, but it was merely David throwing it the ground. He was done.

Fingering the medallion through his pocket, Rumpelstiltskin rose and walked forward to the line of dwarves separating the crowd from the spectacle. He pushed one aside and strode forward as he saw Emma leave the wall to come and stop him. He motioned with his hand for her to halt and began speaking to the still sobbing woman.

"I came here today, fully intending to kill you. Belle doesn't want me to, she tried to talk me out of it, but after what you did to her you deserve to suffer."

Regina looked up from the spot where she had collapsed on the floor after Emma had let her down. Even through the tears, the fear was plain in her eyes.

"But this… this pathetic, worthless creature that you've been turned in to…" Rumpelstiltskin drew closer and whispered menacingly, "You're not worth my time."

* * *

Emma watched as Rumpelstiltskin began walking back out of the hall, his cane sounding with every other step. Her eyes returned to the brunette and she could feel the bile rising in the back of her throat. She couldn't tell where one stroke ended and another began.

Shaking her head to try and clear it, she walked around the woman and knelt in front of her. Her eyes went to Regina's face, or more accurately, anywhere other than her back.

"Are you still in there," Emma asked softly.

Regina hiccupped. The tears and snot streaming from her face had made it difficult for her to breathe. She nodded stiffly.

"Okay," Emma replied, trying to maintain calm. "I've asked Ruby to go get the cruiser and pull it around the back. When we get out there I want you to kneel on the carpet and rest your arms on the seat. At no point are we going to let anything touch your back. Okay?"

Nodding more vigorously this time, Regina struggled to her feet.

"Were going to get you home. I'm going to stay and take care of you, and tomorrow I'll go pickup Henry from Archie's and bring him over." Emma bit her lip and wondered if the woman was up for what she was about to ask her.

"I'd like to call Henry and let him know that you're okay, and that you're going home." Emma paused, giving Regina time to process. "I know it would mean a lot time him if he was able to speak to you. Do you feel up to reassuring him?"

Regina coughed a couple times and sniffled. "I think so," she croaked. "Maybe after some water." She smiled weakly.

"Okay, so water, Henry, home. Let's do this."


	5. 5 - Healing

Chapter 5 - Healing

* * *

Emma clutched Regina's right hand in her own, tucking them both into her waist. Her left hand was over her left shoulder where she gripped Regina's other hand, allowing the brunette to lean on her without touching her back. Walking was slow, but safe.

Releasing her right hand just long enough to fish out Regina's keys and unlock the door, she threw them on the side table and regripped the dangling hand. With an awkward kick the front door closed.

"Do you think we can make it upstairs to your room," Emma asked.

Regina sucked in a pained breath and nodded before shaking her head instead. "Guest room. I don't want to ruin my bed."

"Okay." Emma took a deep breath. "You ready?"

"Let's go," Regina said, wincing.

Step by step the pair made the slow ascent to the second floor.

"Umm… which?"

Regina gestured with their clasped right hands toward a door down the hall.

She tried to lay her down as gently as she could, but the whimpers suggested it wasn't enough. With her strength finally giving out, Regina collapsed onto the bed, her knees dangling over the end. She had no energy to scoot forward.

Emma glanced at the bloodied back before her eyes darted around the room, seeking a distraction. "Do you um… do you have medical supplies in your bathroom."

A grunt was her only reply.

Nodding to herself, Emma replied, "I'll be back."

Regina lost the sound of Emma after she'd walked down the hall in her search. Her back was in agony, but what surprised her was the muscle pain being worse than the cuts. Her whole back felt like one giant cramp. She squeezed her eyes and thought back to Henry as she had in the town hall earlier.

In her mind she could still see him in his blue overalls with the red firetruck stitched into the front. She would swear that sometimes he would come down in it, and only it, so that she'd carry him back upstairs to get a shirt. He'd been an adorable little manipulator from the very beginning. He always knew how to get her attention.

She remembered the first time she took him to the ice cream shop and he'd insisted on getting both strawberry and chocolate, since he couldn't make up his mind. She loved spoiling him. Loved giving him everything she'd been denied as a child.

Scrunching her eyes she tried to go back to a happier place. Thunder had once startled him awake when he was three years old, and she remembered him sneaking into her room in the night and crawling under the covers from the bottom of the bed and _subtly_ scooting himself into her arms. He'd been so soft and warm and she could remember the way his hair smelled like baby shampoo.

Regina came back to reality as she felt the bed drooping under the added weight of the blonde. Even the slight motion of the bed hurt, making her whimper.

Emma sat the supplies down and forced herself to look at the woman's back. Her hand started to move towards Regina's shoulder, as if to give it a squeeze, but her hand stopped in midair where her fingers curled and uncurled, unsure of what to do.

 _"My God. What the hell am I supposed to do here? What did I let them do to my son's mother?"_ She closed her eyes to try and halt the threatening tears.

They shot open at the gasp from the brunette. She leaned forward to try and look her in the face. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"You have magic," Regina said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What," Emma asked her brows scrunched. She leaned back and looked over to see that the area near Regina's shoulder, where her hand had been hovering, had stopped bleeding. "What the fuck?"

"Language, Miss Swan."

She leaned forward again, "Seriously." Emma shook her head. "Henry's not even here and I know you don't have tender ears."

Regina sighed painfully. "Words spoken away from your child tend to become words spoken in front of your child."

"Okay," she replied awkwardly. "But what about this magic and your back? Can I fix you with it?"

Regina laid there a moment considering. "All magic is emotion. Do you remember what you were thinking before you started healing my shoulder?"

"I felt… guilty. And I wished there was something I could to take your pain away."

"Then hold your hands over my back and focus on that."

Leaning back, Emma took a deep breath, lifted her hands and closed her eyes. This time should could feel warmth in her hands, radiating away from her. It felt like holding her hands in front of a fire, but in reverse.

A strangled moan filled the room as Regina relaxed into the bed, the tension in her muscles dissipating.

Emma blushed, feeling suddenly awkward, like she had walked in one someone during an intimate moment. Opening her eyes she looked down and watched as the lines crisscrossing over Regina's back began to close on themselves.

Feeling suddenly lightheaded, Emma pulled her hands away and blinked repeatedly. Looking down again she saw red, irritated skin, but no blood and no blisters. It looked almost like a sunburn now.

Regina rolled slowly on to her side and sat up. "You…" her lip quivered for a moment, unsure of what to say, before she lurched forward, wrapping her arms around the startled blonde and resting her head against her chest.

Emma's hands hovered indecisively over Regina's shoulders, then over her back, before coming to rest in her hair. "Yeah. I guess I did."

* * *

The moment was broken by the sounds of an empty stomach. Pulling apart, the two looked at each other sheepishly.

"I, uh… guess we kinda skipped lunch," Emma joked.

Regina smiled. "Why don't you go wait downstairs while I put something decent on, then I'll fix us a nice dinner?"

At the word 'decent' Emma glanced down and took in state of Regina's clothing. Her blazer, blouse, and bra were all hanging by the crook of her elbow. "That… sounds like a great idea. I'll see you in a bit," she replied, practically bolting from the room.

Regina looked down and realized suddenly just how indecent she looked. "Shit."

* * *

"Hope you don't mind I raided your fridge," Emma called out as she heard Regina descending the stairs.

The brunette walked in wearing pale blue silk pajamas and a pair of slippers.

"Not feeling very formal this evening," Emma asked, taking a sip of orange juice.

"Well, being as I'm no longer royalty, and I'm probably no longer mayor, and I've had a rather long day…"

"Okay, stop," Emma laughed, raising her hand in surrender.

Regina took a quick inventory of the kitchen. "How does spaghetti and garlic bread sound?"

"Amazing," Emma replied, practically drooling. "You sure you feel up to cooking? Because you don't have to. I could easily go pick us up something."

"What, you're not going to offer to fix dinner for me," Regina teased.

"I couldn't do that to you," Emma replied, realizing too late how that might sound after the day they had had.

Regina brushed it off. "I was just kidding. Cooking is one of my favorite activities. I find it very relaxing."

"Well if you're feeling this good," Emma began, "how about I see if Henry would like to come home and join us?"

"I'd love that," Regina replied, her face lighting up.

Emma pointed her index fingers at her and said, "You get dinner started and I'll be right back with our son."

* * *

Across town the Charmings were just stepping back into the loft. They'd barely spoken to each other since leaving the town hall. Both were lost in their separate thoughts.

The first thing David did once home was head for the bath room. He glanced at himself in the mirror as he washed his hands. One of them hurt.

After drying off David lifted his right hand and examined it. Three small blisters had formed on his palm from using the whip. Frowning, he swore he could hear the woman's pleas and sobs echoing in his mind. _"Did I really just ignore her?"_

He knew he would be having nightmares tonight, and he knew he deserved them. _"What have I done?"_

Snow sat down on the end of the bed and began removing her boots. They were black, relatively stylish, but Snow found herself focusing on only one of them. Picking it up, she turned it to face her. Holding it close she realized she could just make out the spot where Regina's lips had touched it.

Standing up, Snow bent down to pick up the other boot and carried them with her into the kitchen. Using her foot to lift the lid of her garbage can she held the boots over the opening for a tense moment before dropping them in and walking away.

* * *

Hearing the front door open, Regina sat down the spoon she'd been using to stir the Bolognese sauce and walked to the entry way. "Henry?"

"Mom," Henry cried out, excited to hear his mother sounding so normal.

The pair of them collided, nearly knocking each other over. They embraced laughing.

Emma leaned against the wall and watched, a smile slowly lighting her face. _"You did it Swan. The kid won't go to sleep crying tonight, or ever again, I can hope. At least not over this."_

"Oh that smells so good," Henry said as he pulled back. "Can we eat now? I'm starving."

"Oh are you now," Regina teased. "I may have to have a word with Doctor Hopper about the proper care and feeding of a young man."

Henry laughed as he made his way into the kitchen and started grabbing silverware to set the table.

Regina didn't want to break the mood, but something had to be said. Turning to Emma, she silently mouthed the words, "Thank you."

* * *

"Why don't you go get cleaned up and ready for bed," Regina suggested to Henry, after they finished clearing the table.

"But mom, it's not even dark yet," Henry asked in confusion.

"True," Regina replied, "but seeing as I'm already in my pajamas I was thinking that you could join me like this and we could all curl up, make some popcorn, and have a little movie night. What do you say?"

"Emma, too," Henry asked hopefully.

"Of course, Emma too." Regina crouched down next to Henry to meet him at eye level. "I think I'm finally ready to accept that you have two moms, and that you need both of us. I'm sorry it took so long for me to figure that out."

"It's okay, mom. What matters is that you're doing the right thing now." With one last quick hug, Henry turned away and started up the stairs.

Regina ran a hand through her hair and sighed. Heading back into the kitchen she saw that blonde had already started washing dishes.

"It's the least I could do," Emma mumbled as Regina came to stand beside her, towel in hand.

Three plates in, Regina gathered her courage and spoke. "I uh… there's something I'd like to ask you to do. And something to show you. When were done here."

"Okay," Emma replied simply.

When the last piece of silverware was put away Regina motioned for Emma to follow and led her to and down a set of stairs.

"I don't think I've ever been down here," Emma commented.

"I should hope not," Regina replied, flipping on the lights and waiting near the side of the door.

Emma stepped inside and looked around. She was in a fairly large room with a couple of couches, a TV, what looked to be a small kitchenette, and a pool table dominating the center. She could see a short hallway off one of the walls that appeared to lead to a pair of additional rooms. A shower was visible in one, but the other was at the wrong angle to be seen from her spot near the bottom of the stairs.

"I realize that after everything that's happened that it would be easy for you to take Henry away from me," Regina began, raising a hand to halt Emma's objection, "but I really think it would be better for our son if he could keep the home he's lived in his whole life."

Regina swallowed. "First and foremost this is Henry's home, not mine. What I want to ask is if you'd be willing to come live here with him, and with me."

Emma's brows lifted in surprise as Regina pressed on.

"I think this could make a nice little space for you. Your own private place." Regina clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides. "However… if you would prefer… I could be persuaded to take this space and leave the master bedroom to you."

"Seriously," Emma asked, shaking her head in disbelief, "Why?"

"Really, Miss Swan, I would think that after today you'd have an appreciation for how far I am willing to go for my son."

Emma felt like she'd been slapped.

"Henry needs both of his mothers in his life and I intend to see that he has them, no matter the cost." Regina took a deep breath and tried to gentle her words. "As an added incentive… I'm sure you're aware that I prepare Henry a healthy and nutritionally balanced breakfast and dinner every day. I could be persuaded to feed one more as well."

Regina stepped closer to the blonde and lowered her voice. "I'm sorry if my snark… it's been a trying day and I truly do want what's best for my son. I assure you this request is genuine and that… I'm never going to do anything to deliberately hurt you ever again. You will be safe here."

Smiling, Emma replied. "I never thought I wouldn't be." Sighing she walked over to the pool table and rolled one of the balls down its length.

She turned to Regina with a smirk. "Which one of us gets to tell Henry?"


	6. 6 - Amends

Chapter 6 – Amends

* * *

"Emma. Good morning," Snow said, answering her husband's phone. Emma hadn't come home last night, Snow hadn't expected her too, and was secretly glad she hadn't. The previous day had been too much.

"Oh, good morning, Mary Margaret," replied in awkward surprise. "I guess I was expecting David to answer his phone."

"I was closer."

Emma could tell that wasn't the whole answer, but decided to let it slide. "Do you think I could talk to him? I have a favor I'd like to ask."

"Oh, of course," Snow replied delightedly. She walked over to the couch and held the phone out to her husband. "Our daughter would like your help with something."

David had the hint of a smile as he took the phone. It was the first one Snow had seen all morning. "Hey, Emma. You know I'm always happy to help. What do you need?"

"Well…" Emma began. "This is an awkward one. Regina would like to head over to city hall and start clearing out her office, seeing as she's not mayor anymore. I'd take her, but apparently this town still needs a sheriff. I don't really feel comfortable letting her go anywhere by herself, she has a lot of enemies, and I was wondering if maybe…"

"I could give her an escort and maybe help with the heavier items," David finished for her. He tapped his shoes nervously and let out a sigh. "I suppose I could do that."

He could hear the relief in her voice. "Thank you so much."

"Are you sure she's going to be okay having me around after…"

"It'll be okay," Emma softly assured.

* * *

"I don't really think this is necessary," Regina began as she climbed into the passenger seat of David's truck. "But if it will put Miss Swan's mind at ease…"

"Exactly," David replied.

The drive over to city hall was silent and awkward, with both occupants staring straight ahead and refusing to so much as glance at each other.

Regina twitched in discomfort, having found herself unable to relax during the ride and sitting stiffly the entire way. Her back was still quite sore and this posture was doing nothing for it.

When the truck pulled to a stop, David turned off the ignition but made no move to exit the vehicle. After a moment's internal debate he asked, "Is this really over now?"

Regina turned to face him for the first time. "I sincerely hope so."

"You're done trying to hurt Snow… and everyone else?"

"Yes," she replied simply. "I don't want that anymore. All I want now is… my son's love. Nothing else matters."

David immediately jumped to the next point of conflict. "And Emma. Are you going to be okay sharing Henry with her? She's his mother, too."

She nodded. "I've actually… I am actually giving Emma a part of the Mansion." David looked up in surprise as she continued, "Split households are bad for children, or at least not best, and Henry deserves to have the best. He shouldn't have to have two beds."

"You'll forgive me if the idea of my daughter living with you makes me nervous," David replied.

"I understand perfectly. I know it's going to take a long time for me to prove myself to people, and to some people I'll probably never be able to, but I'm going to pour myself into it for my son."

There was silence in truck for several moments before David was distracted by his blistered hand and had a sudden realization. "How were you able to get dressed today? You're back…"

"Emma healed me," Regina replied with a small smile.

"Healed you," David questioned, "As in, with magic?"

Regina nodded. "She is the product of true love, the most powerful magic."

David smiled. "That actually makes me feel better about Emma being under the same roof as you."

Regina gave an amused snort before sobering. "I've promised both her and Henry that I'll never hurt, or her family, ever again. For whatever that's worth."

Silence returned to the truck and David's attention was drawn back to his hand. He lifted his head and stared out the windshield, at nothing in particular. "I'm sorry about yesterday. The whole thing was awful and I feel disgusted with myself for what I did."

Regina chose to join David in admiring the world beyond the confines of the truck. "I deserved it. And worse." Her eyes began to water as she confessed, "I think that robbing Emma of a happy childhood was the worst thing I've ever done."

David swallowed thickly. "So… boxes."

"Boxes."

* * *

"Where exactly are you taking me," Emma asked. It was beginning to get dark and she found Regina's sudden request to go to the cemetery to be a bit unnerving.

"My vault," Regina replied.

Emma perked up, "You mean the one Henry was always trying to find?"

Regina nodded.

"Why?"

"If I am to make amends, to better myself for Henry's sake, then I need to get to work on returning some… stolen property."

Emma lifted one eyebrow, but remained silent as the made their way inside the Mills family crypt. Her eyes widened when she saw the brunette push aside her father's tomb and reveal a staircase.

"Holy shit."

Regina gave her a look, but didn't comment, turning instead to begin her descent.

They took a left at the bottom of the stairs and made their way to a dead-end where a mirror hung.

"A hidden room within a hidden room," Emma asked, shaking her head. "Seriously?"

"You can never be too careful," Regina replied as she stepped inside.

The room was much brighter than the rest of the vault. The style matched that of Regina's former office and her home. The space was a little cramped, not due to its size, but due to the quantity of possessions found inside. Emma could barely walk around without tripping over something.

Her attention was drawn to a burgundy dress, tightly fitted to a mannequin. The neck line would plunge almost to Regina's belly button with the space in between made up of black lace and exposed skin. _"Damn."_ Visions of Regina in the dress made Emma shiver.

"See something you like," Regina asked coyly.

"I was just wondering how you could breathe in the thing," Emma replied, trying to play it cool.

"Maybe I'll show you sometime." Regina winked.

 _"The hell. Is she flirting with me?"_

Straightening, Regina moved back towards the door. "Come. That's enough reminiscing for today. I have a job to do."

Emma followed Regina down the hall and into an alcove. Gold covered boxes covered the walls from floor to ceiling. Red lights pulsed from most of them.

Regina stopped and tilted her head. _"Something is off here. Something's not right."_

A pit formed in Emma's stomach and she realized just where she was. "These are hearts."

Regina nodded absently, still trying to put her finger on what was wrong.

 _"Graham."_ Emma felt sick. _"Oh God, Graham."_

* * *

Anger began to replace sorrow as Emma stood and watched the idle brunette.

"Graham."

Emma could see Regina's shoulders tense before her whole body seemed to deflate. Turning around slowly she kept her eyes pinned to the floor. She trembled slightly as fear of the savior took hold. "I am so sorry," she choked out.

With her eyes on the floor Regina couldn't see the flood of emotions pouring over the blonde's face. "You can punish me if you want," she whispered. "I can't undo what I did, but if it would make you feel better…"

"Feel better," Emma growled, grabbing Regina roughly by the arm. "What would make me feel better is if you hadn't murdered Graham," she spat.

"It was an accident," Regina pleaded. "I didn't mean to kill him. I just… I had his heart in my hand and I was so angry and…"

Emma's slap stopped her rambling.

"Come with me," Emma snarled, dragging the brunette down the hallway and back to the crowded room. Shoving her down harshly into a chair, Emma began searching the room.

"What are you going to do to me," Regina asked timidly.

"What you deserve."

After a couple minutes Emma returned to the chair, pulling Regina's arms roughly behind her, and slapping handcuffs back on her wrists. She then used a pair of leather belts she had scrounged from the room to secure her ankles to the chair legs.

Finished, Emma stood back up before crashing down into Regina's face, the blonde's hands digging into Regina's forearms.

"You want to know what I'm going to do to you," Emma asked. "Leave you."

Regina gasped, "No."

"I'm going home, grabbing Henry, and taking him far away from this shit hole of a town you've created."

"Please Emma, no, I beg you…"

Emma shook her head. "I can't let you hurt him ever again."

Regina cried out as Emma walked to the door, "Please Emma, don't do this to me. You promised!"

Emma looked back from the doorway. "Don't worry. I'll call Mary Margaret sometime tomorrow and tell her where to find you."

"EMMA," Regina screams, but the sounds of feet climbing the stairs continued until they slowly faded away.

With the sound of the outside door slamming, Regina broke down and began sobbing. "Emma," she cried out, one final time.


	7. 7 - Catharsis

Chapter 7 - Catharsis

* * *

Emma leaned back against the door to the crypt and slowly slid down it. She could just barely hear the sobs coming from down the stairs, along with an occasional wail or shriek, as Regina fell apart.

Opening her eyes, she looks up at Henry's tomb. Emma sniffled, suddenly feeling guilty for harming the dead man's daughter. _"I'm sorry for hurting your little girl."_

Taking a shuddery breath, Emma closed her eyes again and tried to remember the night that Graham died. _"The night Graham was murdered,"_ she corrected herself.

He'd been a mess all day. At the time she couldn't tell if he'd lost his mind, was suffering from lack of sleep, had some sort of fever, was drunk, or just cracked from breaking up with his girlfriend.

 _"I suppose when he kissed me, and suddenly claimed he could_ remember everything… _I must have broken the curse, at least for him anyway."_

Emma was shaken from her thoughts by a loud thump coming from downstairs, followed by louder sobbing. Realizing suddenly that she too had been crying, she wiped hear tears onto her sleeve and tried to settle herself.

 _"If Regina had known that, had known that Graham was endanger of regaining his memories… Well, she did try to give me a poisoned apple. It's not much of a stretch from that to killing a witness."_

She suddenly felt ashamed. _"Is that all Graham was, a witness? How can I think that way?"_

The sobbing got through to her then, making her think about all the sobbing yesterday. Just like yesterday, she felt sick.

 _"Am I really doing this to her? How am I any better than them, or her?"_

The sound of wood cracking and glass shattering came up the stairs and the sobbing abruptly stopped.

"Regina," Emma called out, struggling to her feet. "Regina!"

* * *

"Why," Regina cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why can't I ever just be happy," she choked out between sobs.

 _"Because you're weak,"_ a voice answered. _"Love is weakness. You allowed yourself to love Henry and look what it has reduced you to?"_

Regina slammed her head into the back of chair repeatedly, screaming in frustration.

 _"You were strong once,_ " the voice tempted. _"You could be strong again."_

She tried to channel her anger, to focus it on the belt and cuffs holding her to the chair. Her body shook with the effort and suddenly the chair itself toppled over, the seat back landed hard on her left forearm and she could hear one of the bones crack. The pain didn't register, but the failure to free herself did.

 _"Pathetic,"_ the voice admonished, making her sob harder.

 _"I can't believe she would do this to me. She promised me. She promised!"_

 _"No she didn't,"_ the voice answered. Regina's sobs paused for a moment. _"She promised not to let Henry lose his mother."_

Regina shook her head, crying in confusion.

 _"Obviously you're too weak to be a mother to him. A pity really, at least he has a spare,"_ the voice taunted.

She shook her head harder. "No. That's not true," she whispered. "It took strength to face the town after what I'd done. It took strength to humble myself."

 _"Acknowledging your weakness, allowing yourself to give in to it, that is not strength. It's just another pathetic lie that you tell yourself to find comfort despite how miserably you've failed."_

Regina was angry at the voice. Furious. The fury blasted out of her, causing a nearby cabinet to explode. One of its doors flew off and smacked Regina in the face.

 _"At least I shut him up,"_ she thought before her world faded to black.

* * *

Emma came to a halt at the doorway to the room. Her eyes widening as she took in the destruction around her. Chunks of wood and shards of glass were everywhere.

Swallowing, Emma's eyes landed on the chair holding Regina. Powering forward she found her head twisted, hanging limp on the floor. She could feel pieces of glass poking into her knees as she lowered herself to check the brunette. Holding out her hands, she tried to recall the feelings she'd held the night before.

"Damn it," she cursed as nothing happened.

Giving up, she focused on unbinding Regina's legs and removing her handcuffs. The tension on her left arm caused Regina to stir and slowly raise her head.

"Emma," came the faint voice.

"I'm right here," Emma replied as she came back around to face her.

"Oh Emma, please don't take Henry from me. I know I failed as a mother and that I don't deserve him and…" Emma halted her pleas with a finger over her lips.

"I'm not taking Henry away," Emma reassured her.

Hearing the words, Regina's face crumpled, and she resumed sobbing.

"Listen Regina, I am so sorry. I fucked up. I… I got really upset when I realized what had happened to Graham and I… I just… ugghh, I felt like I had to punish you for it."

Emma reached down and used her thumb to wipe the tears from Regina's cheeks. "That was horrible of me. What I did was no better than what my parents did to you yesterday. I am so incredibly sorry."

Regina's sobs had slowed to sniffles and she stared into Emma's green eyes.

"I promise, I'll never use our son as a weapon to hurt you ever again. Please forgive me."

Regina chewed on her lower lip. Eventually she asked, "Can we just go home?"

"Of course," Emma replied nodding. "Let's get you home."

* * *

By the time the two of them reached the bug it had become clear to Emma that something was wrong with Regina's arm. Grabbing the hand on Regina's good arm, she pulled them to a stop. Looking pointedly at her left arm she asked, "You want to tell me what happened?"

Regina looked down. "I was trying to use magic to untie myself. All I managed to do was topple the chair, which landed hard on my arm."

Gingerly grabbing her left arm, Emma closed her eyes and tried to focus. After a few moments she began to feel the warmth of her magic stitching bone back together. When the warmth faded she opened her eyes and look into Regina's. "Better now?"

Regina nodded before turning and continuing on to the car.

Letting out a sigh, Emma followed.

Inside the car, Emma tried one last time. "I really am sorry for hurting you like that."

"I know," was her only reply.

* * *

Regina sat bolt upright in her bed, shaking. After taking several deep breaths to try and calm herself she got up and headed down the hall.

Peeking into Henry's room, Regina felt herself starting to relax as she watched the gentle rise and fall of her boy's chest.

Back in the hallway, Regina found it hard to settle her mind. With a sigh, she headed down the stairs. _"This is Miss Swan's fault, and she should be the one to fix it."_

She quietly made it down both sets of stairs, around the pool table, and up to Emma's closed bedroom door. After a moment's hesitation she turned the knob and crept inside.

The blonde had been staring at the ceiling, but her large dilated eyes shifted to the intruder as she entered.

The room was still and silent for several minutes before Regina whispered, "I had a nightmare."

"What can I do," Emma whispered back.

Without a word, Regina walked around the bed and laid down on her side, facing the wall. Emma rolled over and placed an arm over her protectively, their hands finding each other, and fingers intertwining.

"Can you forgive me," Emma plead in a whisper. "I promise I'll never lash out at you like that again."

"I want to trust you," Regina replied. "I…"

"It's okay. Just try to get some sleep. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Emma woke up to find that the brunette had escaped in the night. "One step forward," she muttered to herself.

She heard voices as she came up the stairs and followed the sound into the kitchen.

Noticing the new arrival, Regina poured a cup of coffee and offered it to the blonde. "Good morning. I hope you slept well." Her voice was almost cheerful.

"Thanks," Emma replied, half awkwardly.

Over at the table, Emma found Henry eating some cut fruit. Crumbs from an earlier pastry littered both his plate and his napkin. "What'd you have there, kid?"

"One of those," Henry replied, pointing to a napkin covered plate at another seat.

Emma lifted an eyebrow as she walked around the table and lifted the napkin. Her shoulder's relaxed as she smiled at the bear claw that greeted her.

"Apology accepted," Regina whispered in her ear.

Turning, she found Regina had gotten much closer to her than she'd expected. They both stared for a moment, seeing warmth in each other's eyes. "Thank you," Emma replied. "For everything."


	8. 8 - Guilt

Chapter 8 – Guilt

* * *

Emma shook her head. "I still can't believe you had nothing better to do."

Looking up from the police report she was working on, Regina replied, "I really don't." After a brief pause she continued, "And I wanted to spend some time with you. I guess I thought that if I helped you catch up on your paperwork we might have some time to talk before dinner."

"I suppose we do need to have a talk."

"You sound like you're about to have a tooth pulled," Regina scoffed.

Emma thought for a moment. "They always asked to talk… before they sent me back," Emma replied softly.

Her heart fell. "I promise, it's not that kind of talk," Regina assured.

Several minutes passed with only the sound of pages turning to mar the silence.

"I carry with me an enormous amount of guilt," Regina admitted. "About you especially."

Emma lifted her head and wondered what Regina was referring to. "Is this about the turnover?"

Regina quickly shook her head. "That may be the least of my crimes against you." Sighing, she continued, "I can still remember walking into your nursery on the day I caste the dark curse. Your parents loved you so much. You could have grown up in a safe and loving place with parents that would have never let you go. Instead…"

"I got Henry," Emma said, cutting the brunette off. "Instead, I got to have Henry."

Regina frowned.

"Yeah my childhood sucked. But Henry was worth it, _is_ worth it."

"So… you might be able to forgive me someday," Regina asked softly.

Emma nodded subtly, her mind elsewhere.

Regina squinted. "I can see the wheels turning. You do have more than one wheel up there, do you not?"

Emma rolled her eyes and began tapping her fingers on the desk. "You think you could head over to Granny's and get us some lunch?"

"I guess I could do that," Regina acquiesced, suspicious of the blonde's motives.

Emma pulled out her wallet and threw a pair of twenties on the desk. "Just ask Ruby for my usual and whatever you want for yourself."

"You don't have to buy me lunch."

"And you don't have to cook me breakfast and dinner, but here we are."

Regina nodded and stood to leave. "Here we are indeed."

* * *

As soon as Regina had set down the bags, Emma forced an envelope into her hands. "What's this," Regina asked.

"For you," Emma replied with a lift of her eyebrows. "Open it and find out."

Her shoulders tightened and her body tensed as Regina sat down and pulled a single sheet of paper from the envelope.

 _I, Emma Swan, Savior of the Peoples of the Enchanted Forest and Sheriff of the town of Storybrooke, recognizing that that one Regina Mills has faced judgment and received her due justice regarding her crimes against the aforementioned people, and recognizing that her crimes were not previously enumerated prior to facing judgement, do hereby grant a full and complete pardon for all crimes committed but not covered by the aforementioned judgment._

 _Emma Swan_

Regina sat in stunned silence staring at the page in her lap.

Emma waited nervously, her burger sitting untouched in front of her. She shrugged as Regina finally lifted her eyes. "I may have had some help from Google."

Her lips trembled and eyes watered as Regina said, "I know this isn't official and it probably doesn't really count but… this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"Well," Emma scoffed, lifting her hands, "What kind of savior would I be if I couldn't offer forgiveness."

Regina giggled and looked down sheepishly. "Is it awful that I want to give a framed copy of this to your parents?"

Emma covered her eyes with her hand as she let out a laugh. "You're going to be the death of me, woman."

* * *

Lunch was spent in companionable silence as both women allowed themselves to absorb what they'd just shared. Regina felt as if a burden had been lifted from her, but something continued to gnaw at Emma.

"I was never going to do it," Emma blurted out.

"Hmmm," Regina asked.

"I was never going to take Henry and run."

Regina felt her whole body stiffen.

"I was really angry, I wanted to hurt you, and I knew there was nothing that would hurt you more than the thought of losing your son. I… I could never actually do it, but I could tell you I would, and I did."

Looking up, Regina easily recognized the overwhelming shame written across the blonde's features.

"I don't know what's worse," Emma continued. "How cruel I was to you, or the way I used our son as a prop… I can't lie to myself and pretend that was even remotely ok. Thinking about it just makes me feel… dirty."

Regina slowly spoke. "I accepted your apology this morning, but I'm glad you told me this. Is it fair for me to assume that you running off with Henry is off the table?"

"Absolutely," Emma replied emphatically. "You may think I'm capable of doing that to you, and I can understand why, you have every reason to doubt me, but I would never ever do that to Henry. I swear to God I wouldn't."

"Thanks," Regina replied softly. "I think I needed to hear that."

They both drifted back to their food.

* * *

"I talked with your father yesterday," Regina began, restarting their talk sometime later.

"I have a really hard time thinking of them as my parents," Emma admitted with a slight frown.

Regina nodded. "That's my fault."

"Stop that," Emma chastised. "You're not the one who put me through a tree. They're the ones that chose to roll the dice with their baby."

She started to open her mouth to reply, but thought better of it. After a sigh she tried again. "Maybe they aren't your parents, but they _could_ be. You know that's what they want, more than anything?"

"I don't feel much like giving them anything they want," Emma grumbled.

"Is this because of the tree, or because of what happened the other day," Regina asked softly.

"It really was barbaric." Emma looked disturbed. "How can they think of themselves as 'the good guys' if they pull crap like that?"

"They don't," Regina replied, drawing Emma's eyes to her own. "Your father… I can tell he paid a price that day, to give me justice. I think he hated it as much as you do, but couldn't see another way." Regina's eyes softened. "He's hurting, Emma."

"He should be," Emma pouted.

Regina had a thought and smiled. "Would it help if I wrote _him_ a pardon?"

"Wow," Emma replied incredulously. "How on Earth have you managed to pull a complete 180 on my parents?"

"Oh, now they're your parents," Regina teased.

Emma's mouth opened and closed, speechless.

"Is it so hard to believe that I want to give you back what I stole from you," Regina asked. "Or maybe I just want you to have a chance to heal, too?"

* * *

At Regina's suggestion, Emma met up with the Charmings for cocoa at Granny's when her shift was over.

The three of them sat in a booth, an awkward silence settling in after they'd ordered.

"So you were saying that this was Regina's idea," Snow began.

Emma nodded.

"How are things over there, at Regina's," Snow asked.

Shrugging, Emma replied, "Okay, I guess."

"You don't feel much like talking, do you," David observed.

Emma frowned. "It's just… hard."

This time, Emma broke the silence. "After the curse broke… It just feels like my best friend died."

Snow cringed, but understood.

"I guess that's the problem," Emma continued, "Sitting here, I feel like I've lost more than I've gained."

"We're sorry," David replied for them both. "If we knew a way to fix this, we would. We just…" He sighed. "Maybe we could just… spend some time together, not worrying about who we are to each other… just… being happy to spend time together."

"Regina might have suggested something like that," Emma mumbled.

Snow's eyes brightened. "Really? She wants us to spend time together?"

"Yeah," Emma admitted. "She feels pretty shitty about how my childhood went. You guys aren't the only ones who wish they could fix it."

"You know," Emma continued, "Regina's really more of a wine lady, while I'm a beer kind of girl. I wouldn't say no to cracking open a cold one once in a while."

"Well, if you're going to force the bottle into my hand," David replied as Snow gave him a playful slap on the arm. "I suppose I could handle that."

Emma considered. _"Do I really want to do this?"_ She sighed. _"Regina'd looked so hopeful earlier…"_

Emma groaned. "Regina said she was making a roast tonight and was complaining about the amount of left overs we'd be stuck with… I don't suppose you'd want to help with that?"


	9. 9 - Building

Chapter 9 - Building

* * *

"So I've read the book three times, cover to cover, so I feel like I've got a pretty good idea what happened, but I still have a lot of unanswered questions," Henry began. He was sitting in the back yard of the mansion drinking a coke while Emma and David nursed a pair of IPAs.

"Like what," David asked.

"Like… how did you go to the bathroom?"

David laughed. "The usual way."

"But you didn't have toilets or toilet paper, did you?"

"I don't know if I can have this conversation in front of my daughter," David said, trying to wiggle out of answering the awkward question.

"I can handle it," Emma assured.

"It's not like she's really a girl," Henry began.

"Hey," Emma exclaimed.

"She was a bounty hunter. Bounty hunters can handle tough talk."

"That's quite the logic there," David laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, if you must know," David said with a sigh. "We used pieces of glazed pottery."

Emma and Henry both looked confused for a moment, before Henry sought clarification. "You pooped in… vases?"

"No," David gasped. "I just meant that we used pieces of pottery clean up. You know…" David made a wiping motion with his fingers.

"Ewww. Maybe I spoke too soon," Emma said, grimacing.

"Okay… let me ask you about something else." Henry thought for a moment. "What was your life like growing up, before Mr. Gold bought you for King George?"

"I wouldn't say I was bought…" David trailed off. "Regardless. I grew up on a farm. It was just me and my mother, Ruth. Well I guess dad was their too before… We lost my father when I was a few years younger than you are now."

Henry nodded as both he and Emma gave David their undivided attention.

"It was a small place," David continued. "Just a single room. The walls were stone and we had a thatch roof. It dripped a little during the rain, but not much."

David noticed as he spoke about his first home that Henry was casting occasional glances at his mother. He thought about it during the pauses between questions and eventually came to a realization.

 _"Emma hasn't asked a single question. She's afraid to open herself up by seeming interested… so Henry is asking questions for her."_ David smiled to himself. _"Good job looking out for your mother. I'm proud of you."_

"So I was thinking," David began, shifting subjects. "I bet you would understand life in the Enchanted Forest a lot better if I taught you how to ride. Provided your mom's okay with that… both of them," he added at the last minute.

* * *

Inside the house, Regina and Snow were working around the kitchen. Snow was making a salad and Regina was setting the table.

"Thanks for coming," Regina began. "It may not seem like it, but I know it means a lot to Emma that you're reaching out to her."

"Of course we are. We never wanted to have this distance between us in the first place," Snow replied.

Regina cringed inwardly. "I'm sorry that I broke up your family. The space between you is my fault."

"That was kind of the point, wasn't it? Taking away all are happy endings?"

"It was then, but it's not now."

"No," Snow asked.

"No." Regina considered her words. "Without the curse Emma would never have met Henry's father, so I can't say that I regret it per se… but I am sorry for all the pain it caused, especially to Emma. She was an innocent."

"Forgive me for saying, but that never stopped you before."

"You'd be surprised," Regina replied, briefly losing herself in thought. "That's my biggest regret, you know?"

"Oh," Snow asked.

"For Henry's sake, I wouldn't take back the curse, even if I could. But… I could have done the curse differently, not broken up families, not tried to make everyone miserable. Frederick and Abigail could have been together the whole time. You and Charming, Hansel and Gretel with their father, and so many others. I'm not saying I could have made this world a paradise, but I didn't have to try and make it a Hell either."

"I almost believe you," Snow replied wistfully. "And I really want to, it's just…"

"I know," Regina said with a sigh. "I have a long road ahead of me."

Finished setting the table, Regina decided to change the subject. "So. Have you and Charming settled into the Mayor's off yet?"

Snow was surprised and a little wary of the new topic. "Oh… um… I don't think we really know what we're doing yet. But we will get there," Snow finished confidently.

"I'm sure you will," Regina granted. "However, along the way, if you would like any help, particularly with the paperwork, let me know. There's nothing like curling up in my study after dinner with a good budget report."

"I'd much rather learn how to do it than have you do it for me," Snow replied.

"Of course," Regina replied, but found that she couldn't help herself. "So if you find yourself stuck by something, swing around for dinner with us. We'll go over whatever it is afterwards while Charming tries to get your daughter drunk and regales Henry with tales of his sheep herding days."

"I knew you were still in there," Snow remarked. "But if we can keep things down to a mild snark here and there…"

"As I said, I'm done resisting, done fighting back. Now I just want to keep Henry safe." Regina sighed, "Rumple said some particularly nasty things to me after my punishment and the Evil Queen would surely be trying to find a way to stick it to him even now, but all _I_ really want is to keep the dark one the hell away from my son."

Suddenly something clicked in Regina's mind. "I had nothing… That's the difference."

"What," Snow asked.

"Back before the curse. I felt like I had nothing, like I had lost _everything_ that I cared about. All I had left was rage and pain. But now… now I have this precious boy that I've poured my heart and soul into. I would lay down my life to protect him. Turning the other cheek is easy in comparison," Regina mused.

"So, as I told Charming, this fight between us is _over_ ," Regina said, stressing the final word. "I refuse to fight anymore."

"I'm still mad at you," Snow replied, deciding to try and test her. "You murdered my father."

With every other accusation Regina had felt considerable guilt, but not this one. "Snow… I am sorry you lost your father, but I am not sorry for killing my husband. I know that you loved him, and that his loss hurt enormously, but you have to realize that as good a father as he was to you, and as good a husband as he was to Ava, he was a horrible husband to the 18 year old girl my mother sold to him."

Snow stared at her step-mother and saw the emotional cracks in her face. For a moment she considered why a woman would hate her husband, a husband she hadn't wanted, a husband she'd been forced to marry, a husband she was expected to provide an heir to... Swallowing, Snow decided to drop the subject and never bring it up again.

With the beep of the oven timer, Regina put on her mitts and pulled out the roast, setting it on the stove top to rest.

"I just remembered something I'd wanted to warn you about," Regina said, redrawing Snow's attention.

 _"Here it comes,_ " Snow thought.

"Because it was you and Charming who punished the Evil Queen… You've focused attention on yourselves."

Snow looked at Regina in confusion.

"You've become the de facto King and Queen of Storybrooke. You effectively sit a step above every other monarch from the Enchanted Forest, including King George," Regina explained.

Realization dawned on Snow's features. "And he's here. District Attorney Spencer."

"The one and only, thank God," Regina muttered.

"David and I will have to be on the lookout. Thanks for the heads up," Snow replied, genuinely grateful.

"Just know one thing," Regina warned. "If any of that spills over and threatens Henry, I can't promise that the Evil Queen won't make an encore appearance."

Regina fixed Snow with a hard stare, not meant to intimidate, but to be un-ignorable. "That's where my line is. Don't cross it."


	10. 10 - Loss

Chapter 10 – Loss

* * *

Regina was out the door and running before the police cruiser had come to a stop. _"Please don't let him have hurt Henry,"_ she chanted to herself as she flew into the stables.

"Henry. Henry!" Regina called out frantically as she moved from stall to stall searching for her son.

"Mom," came the panicked cry from two doors down.

Her heart stopped when Regina laid eyes on Daniel, who was holding Henry in midair. After a moment's hesitation her hands flew forward and magic streamed out, striking Daniel from behind, causing him to drop the boy.

As Daniel turned around, Regina pinned him to the wall and held him there.

"Regina," Emma cried out in surprise. "Your magic's back!"

"Now is not the time, Miss Swan. Grab Henry and get him the Hell out of here."

Emma grabbed their son and pulled him out into the hallway before pausing to look back at Regina. "Are you sure you don't need me to…"

"Leave," Regina growled, cutting her off.

Emma nodded, even though Regina couldn't see it, and began pulling Henry out of the stables and back to her car.

Dropping the spell, Regina took a cautious step forward. "Daniel," she began softly, "it's me, Regina. Do you remember me?"

Daniel took a couple steps forward and raised his hand as if to cup her face, instead he grabbed her by the neck and threw her against the wall.

"Daniel… Stop. It's me. I love you…" Regina pleaded.

Confusion washed over his face and he stepped back, letting go of her neck. "Regina?"

"Daniel." Regina threw her arms around him. "I can't believe it's really you."

Daniel shrunk back from the hug and clenched his fists, signs of pain marring his features.

"Daniel," Regina asked in concern.

"Stop," he pleaded. "Just stop the pain."

Regina searched his eyes. "How?"

"Let me go," he replied.

"No," Regina argued. "No, I won't lose you again. Without you, I'm lost."

Again she witnessed pain wracking her love.

"Daniel," Regina implored. "Daniel, come back to me."

"Can't," Daniel struggled to get out.

"But I love you," Regina cried.

"Then love again," Daniel asked.

Regina could tell the moment he was gone. The love had disappeared from Daniel's eyes, only to be replaced by unconstrained malice.

Regina raised her arms and pinned him back against the far wall. Closing her eyes and whimpering, she flicked her wrist and heard the sickening sound of his neck snapping.

She collapsed to the floor and pulled his head into her lap. "Goodbye Daniel."

* * *

Back at the police cruiser, Emma opened the back door before practically throwing her son in. "You'll be safe here until I get back with your mom," she tried to assure him.

"Who was that," Henry asked. "Mom acted like she knew him."

"I don't know kid, but all that matters right now is making sure that she's alright." Shutting the car door. "It's going to be okay."

As Emma ran back towards the stables, Henry tried opening the car door only to remember that the back doors of the cop car couldn't be opened from the inside. He had no choice but to wait, and hope.

"But I love you," Emma heard the pained cry, making her pull up short. _"Maybe I should have listened and given her privacy."_

A moment and a few muffled words later and Emma heard the sound of someone being thrown against a wall. That got her moving again.

She rounded the doorway just in time to see, and hear, Daniels neck break. Emma's heart ached as she watched the brunette collapse next to her attacker and cradle his head reverently.

Quietly, Emma stepped into the corner of the room furthest from the couple and crouched down. "You want to tell me about him," she asked softly.

Regina looked to the blonde briefly before returning her eyes to Daniel's face. She gently combed the hair away from his face as she tried to collect herself. "His name was Daniel," she began. "He was my Fiancé, my first and only love."

"What happened to him?"

Regina debated what to say. Finally she said all that mattered, "I lost him."

After a ragged breath Regina asks, "Where's Henry?"

"I uh… I sort of left him in the back of the car. The doors don't open from the inside so I knew it would keep him out of trouble," Emma explained.

"You should get him home," Regina replied. "And I should get Daniel…"

"I'll be home soon," Regina said finally, before her and Daniel disappeared in a plume for purple smoke.

Emma let out a long sigh and stood up. "This is not going to end well."

* * *

"Mom," Henry shouted as he bounced off the couch and ran to the opening front door. "What happened, where have you been?"

"Henry," Emma chastised. "At least let her get in the door." She gave Regina an apologetic grimace.

"It's okay," Regina replied, almost resignedly. "Why don't you go get us something to drink and we'll have a chat on the couch?"

Emma felt a sense of foreboding, but nodded and headed for the kitchen.

Henry grabbed his mother's hand and dragged her into the living room, plopping down on the couch and dragging her with him.

Regina smiled and ruffled his hair. "How are you doing Henry? You weren't hurt earlier, were you?"

The boy shook his head. "It was kinda scary," he admitted, "But I'm fine. Not even a scratch."

Regina nodded to herself. "Good. Good."

Emma came into the living room with two glasses of cider and a bottled water. Passing one of the cider's to Henry she held the remaining beverages in her hands and raised an eyebrow to Regina in question.

Regina took the water and smiled. "Thank you."

Emma just nodded and took a seat in a padded chair facing the couch.

"So… are you okay, mom," Henry asked.

Regina opened her mouth to answer but stopped herself. After an internal debate she began, "I know how important it is you Henry, that I don't lie to you anymore." She took a deep breath. "I'm in a lot of pain right now."

Henry's face fell.

"That man, Daniel. He didn't hurt me," Regina explained. "But he was… someone dear to my heart. And now he's dead."

"Regina, you really don't have to talk about this," Emma interjected.

"Yes, I do." Regina glanced at her feet. "I first met Daniel when he took a job in my family's stables when I was fifteen…"

Regina spent the next half hour telling Henry and Emma about how she'd grown to love the young man, how she'd wanted to run away with him, how Snow had found about them, and how her mother had murdered him.

"If your mom crushed his heart," Henry asked, "how did he end up at the stables today."

"Doctor Whale," Regina said simply. "He'd always been obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. After the curse broken he… tried again… with Daniel."

Regina shook her head. "But he wasn't Daniel anymore," Regina cried softly. "And I had to kill him."

Henry leaned into his mother and wrapped her arms around her, squeezing as hard as he could. "I'm sorry, mom."

"I'm sorry too, Henry."

Letting go and leaning back, Henry asked the question that had been lingering in Emma's head. "Where did you go while Emma was bringing me home?"

"I took Daniel back to my family crypt," Regina replied. "No matter what he may have become, he was still the love of my life, and I couldn't just leave him there in the stables, and I wouldn't trust anyone else to give his remains the respect they deserve."

* * *

Regina was laying silently in her bed when she heard the knock on her door.

She didn't want to answer, but Henry might need something so she rose and cracked her door to peek down the hallway. "Emma," she asked in surprise.

Emma blushed, feeling super awkward, but spoke despite her embarrassment. "I was just thinking about the day you had today, and the night you had a couple days ago, and I thought you might not want be alone."

Regina stared at her silently.

"Someone to help keep the nightmares away," the blonde offered.

Regina deflated slightly and backed up to let her in.

Emma walked in and slid into Regina's bed, laying on her back and looking at the ceiling. Regina entered on the other side and laid the same way. Neither reached for the other. It still felt awkward to both of them.

After several minutes, Regina broke the silence. "That wasn't the end of the story."

"What," Emma asked.

"My mother murdering Daniel. Snow thinks that's why I hated her all the years, it's what I told her in fact. But that wasn't it, not all of it."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Not really," Regina admitted. "But I might as well make the most of having you here, nightmare repellant and all."

Emma laughed briefly. "You can tell me anything you want. The pardon still stands."

Regina glanced at the blonde for a moment before returning her eyes to the ceiling. "What you're about to hear won't be _my_ crimes."

Emma rolled onto her side and propped up her head on her arm, giving Regina her undivided attention.

"My mother forced me to marry the King, your grandfather," Regina began. "I was only six years older than your mother."

"Your mother was thrilled. She was finally going to have a new mother to replace the one she lost. And the King…" Regina trailed off.

"I never did figure out what I was to him. A fancy bauble to show off at functions, a nanny for his only child, a bed warmer…" Regina pushed the bile back down. "Or a brood mare to provide him with a male heir."

Emma sat in silence, horrified by what she was hearing.

Regina rolled her head to lock eyes with Emma. "The thing about saying yes to a king…" Regina looked back at the ceiling. "Is that you can never say no again."

Emma watched as a single tear rolled down Regina's cheek.

"I never even had that one chance. My mother said yes for me." Regina shuddered. "She knew exactly what would happen to me, what he would do to me, but it was just another price she was willing for me to pay."

"I'm glad you killed him," Emma admitted. "Otherwise I'd have to."

"All I wanted was for it to stop."

"Well… it's over now. He'll never hurt you again." Emma paused. "And in this land, we don't let shit like that happen. You're safe now. I promise."

Regina wiggled closer and snuggled into Emma's side. "Thank you," she whispered. "For being here for me."

Emma leaned down and planted a kiss on the top of the brunette's head. "Anytime."


	11. 11 - Melancholy

Chapter 11 – Melancholy

* * *

"Mom, mom," Henry called out, running down the hall to the master bedroom. "You overslept and I'm going to be late for school!" Opening the bedroom door he came to an abrupt halt. "Mom? Emma?"

"Hmm," Emma replies groggily, slowly extricating her arm from beneath the Brunette and sitting up. "What is it Henry," she asks, her eyes still half closed.

"Why are you in mom's bed," he asks cautiously.

Snapping open, Emma's eyes move swiftly back and forth between her son and her… friend? "Uhhh…well…"

"Good morning, Henry," Regina says, having propped herself up on her arm. "What were you asking?"

Henry's eyes moved left and right between his moms. "Did Emma sleep in here last night?"

Regina's eyebrows rise slightly and she uses her free arm to sweep her hair out of her face. "Emma was worried I was going to have some bad dreams after everything that happened yesterday so she decided to keep me company."

Sitting up more fully, Regina grabbed Emma's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Thank you, dear." Turning her head slowly back to Henry, "What has you in here so early?"

Henry was momentarily speechless before coming to his senses. "Class started ten minutes ago and you never came to wake me."

"Shit," Emma cursed, "That means I'm going to be late for work too." She quickly rolled off the bed and dashed to the stairs and down.

After standing there for several moments, waiting for his mother to get out of bed, he finally turned to go and get dressed.

"Henry," Regina called as he reached her door. The boy stopped and turned back, looking at her expectantly. "I'm not… feeling very well this morning. Could you ask Emma to drop you off at school today? I'll call ahead and let them know I overslept."

Henry nodded dumbly before turning around and walking back to his room.

* * *

"Hey kid, I half expected your mom to have pancakes waiting when I came up here," Emma joked as she found Henry rummaging around the kitchen for breakfast.

"She said she wasn't feeling well and was hoping you could drop me off for school," he replied, his head still buried in the pantry.

Emma was startled. "Um, okay… I guess we'd better get moving then."

Henry pulled out an entire box of granola bars and showed them to Emma. "We can eat in the car."

Emma slung his backpack over her shoulder and made her way out the police cruiser. "Did your mom say what was wrong," Emma asked, trying to sound casual and not worry the boy.

Henry frowned. "No. But she did seem really off this morning."

"She probably just feeling down about yesterday," Emma tried reassuring. "Give her a couple days and she'll bounce back just fine."

Henry nodded silently.

"She's going to be okay Henry," Emma tried again. "Your mom's a survivor."

"Yeah," Henry replied, not sounding very convinced. He carefully opened the top of the box of granola bars and pulled out a pair of them, passing one to Emma.

Emma tore the wrapper open and bit into the bar. "Thanks, kid," she said between bites.

When they pulled up to the school Emma stopped and turned to her son. "Do I need to come in and get you a pass or anything?"

Henry shook his head. "Mom said she'd call in and say she'd overslept."

"Phew," Emma said only half-jokingly. "Me and school office ladies really don't get along."

Henry laughed and opened the door. "Thanks, Emma. See you tonight."

Seeing Henry booking it for the entrance Emma smiled and pulled back onto the street. She didn't notice Henry pull up short and take off.

* * *

Henry crept back into the mansion. He didn't want to startle his mother, but he didn't want to be too loud either, in case she'd fallen back to sleep.

Her door was ajar when he reached her bedroom. Slipping inside he saw that she was still in bed. She was lying on her side, facing the window, her knees were tucked up with her arms wrapped around them.

"Mom," he called softly, testing the waters.

"Henry," she asked as she stretched her legs out and rolled over to face him. "What're you doing home?"

"I was worried about you," Henry replied with his brow furrowed. "I've never seen you act like you did this morning."

She gave him half a smile. "I'm sorry, Henry, but it's not your responsibility to look out for me. I'm supposed to be looking out for you."

"But you need me right now."

Regina wanted to argue, but knew that would mean lying to him. She didn't want to need him, but a little part of her knew that she did. "Henry… you shouldn't be missing school."

"I need to be here more," he replied. Tilting his head he looked thoughtfully at his mother. "You haven't had anything to eat. I'm going to go get you some breakfast."

Regina let out a heavy sigh after she heard Henry's footfalls on the stairs. Rolling back over, she stretched her right arm out and grabbed her phone. Moments later it was ringing.

"Sherriff Swan speaking."

"Emma."

"Regina," Emma replied in surprise, "What's wrong?"

"Why does something have to be wrong, Miss Swan?"

Emma scoffed. "Well you don't make a lot of social calls."

"True," Regina replied, pausing. "Henry decided to skip school and come home to take care of me."

"Seriously," Emma asked in surprise.

"I think he's trying to make me breakfast as we speak."

"Awww, sweet kid," Emma replied with a smile.

"Sweet kid or not, he shouldn't be missing class," Regina retorted.

"Oh come on Regina," Emma argued, "You just lost the love of your life yesterday, for the second time. Let the kid take care of you. He loves you."

"Be that as it may…"

"He's not going to learn anything today anyway. He'll just be moping in class all day worried about you." Emma paused to let Regina consider it. "You know I'm right."

"So you're not going to come home and take him back to school," Regina asked.

"Are you kidding," Emma exclaimed. "If you think it's sooo important for him to go to school today, and that you're sooo okay that you don't need him, then you should have no trouble climbing into your Mercedes and giving him a ride."

There was dead air for a moment. "Good day, Miss Swan."

Emma listened to the dial tone for several seconds. "Really?"

* * *

Henry was surprised that when his mom entered the kitchen she was still wearing her pajamas. She started to walk over and look over his shoulder, but he turned and shooed her into the dining room.

"So… I probably used too many eggs," Henry apologized as he set a plate in front of her. Before she could get a word out he'd stepped back, "I'll be right back with the toast."

Regina chuckled as she looked down on the plate, guessing there were at least half dozen scrambled eggs staring back at her.

"Well I'm glad you remembered the butter," Regina began, taking the plate of toast. "I'd hate to starve."

Henry giggled and sat down across the corner from her. Reaching out with his own fork, he snagged a bite of egg from her plate.

"Did Miss Swan neglect to feed you," Regina asked with a smirk.

Henry swallowed his bite. "We were really late so I just grabbed us some granola bars."

Regina nodded as she took another bite.

"Mom," Henry asked softly. "Did I hear right that you have magic now?"

"I do," Regina replied, curious how her son would take the news.

"Is it going to… change you?" Regina could see the concern in his eyes. "You're not going to…"

Regina sat down her fork and reached over to clasp one of Henry's hands. "Henry… something happened to me the day that the curse broke." Swallowing past a lump in her throat she continued, "I almost lost you. And it was my fault, entirely my fault."

Henry looked down at his mother's hand covering his and then up in to her eyes, where tears threatened.

"I made a decision, in that moment, when Emma saved you. I decided that no matter what happened to me, no matter what I had to face or endure, no matter what I had to give up or let go of, I would never put you at risk again."

Regina sighed. "I'm not going to start any fights, because you could get caught up in it, or worse, someone could try to hurt you to punish me. I'm not going to be dragged into any fights either, for the same reason. The only time I'm going to use my magic against someone is if they pose a direct threat to _you._ "

"Like Daniel," Henry replied.

"Like Daniel," Regina agreed.

"You had Snow and David over the other day, even after…" Henry trailed off, realizing he didn't actually know what happened _that_ afternoon. "What did happen when they…"

"When I faced justice," Regina finished for him. He nodded.

She took a deep breath, trying to decide how much she could share with her son. "I bowed down. I acknowledged in front of the whole town that I'd been beaten, and that I wouldn't be trying to hurt anyone anymore. I publicly accepted your grandparents as King and Queen over me."

"But… that wouldn't explain how upset Emma was. She seemed to really hate what happened," Henry insisted.

Regina nodded. "Your… other mother, has a good heart. She doesn't like watching people get hurt, even if they deserve it."

"So they did hurt you?"

"Henry," Regina pleaded.

"Please mom, I need to know."

Regina leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "They didn't do anything to me that I couldn't handle. They didn't do anything that Emma couldn't help me get through. And then… it was over, and I got to go home and see my precious little boy."

She cupped Henry's cheek in her hand and smiled. "It was worth it, to have it all behind me. _You_ were worth it. And now, having my magic back, I'm still not going to do anything to jeopardize you, or the little space I've carved out for myself here."

"The only thing they could have done, that would have truly hurt me, was to take you away from me."

Henry watched as Regina smiled, truly smiled, for the first time since coming back from the stables. "And Emma wouldn't let them. She did exactly what you asked her to. She saved me too."


	12. 12 - Puzzles

Chapter 12 – Puzzles

* * *

Henry sat on the couch pretending to read a copy of Island of the Blue Dolphins. He was leaning up against his mother who sat reading her own book. He knew he should be reading, but his mind kept drifting back to his two moms. Various little bits of what he'd heard and seen recently rolled around in his head, begging to be put together.

"How are you doing, mom," he asked finally.

Regina turned her head to look at her son as her mind switched gears from Pride and Prejudice to her son.

"Not right now, I mean," Henry added quickly, "but in general. Since the curse broke, how have you been doing?"

"Okay, I guess," Regina considered. "I haven't really thought about it. I've just been taking things one day at a time."

"Are you mad that me and Emma broke the curse?"

"No," she assured her son. "Of course not. It needed to happen."

"Did it," Henry asked in all seriousness.

Regina's mouth hung open for a moment as she considered. "I don't know if it would have gone on forever or not… but I'm glad it didn't."

"Really?"

"Really," she answered with a smile. "I think I was just as trapped as everyone else here. And things are better now. It's nice to be friends rather than adversaries with Miss Swan."

"Emma's your friend now," Henry asked.

"I think so. She's been very forgiving of me and very kind." Regina leaned her head closer to her son. "It's nice having another adult to talk to as well."

"I don't think I've had a real friend since…" Regina trailed off as she dug back into her past trying to think of someone who'd been a _real_ friend. She sighed. "I think my last real friend was Daniel."

"You've been alone all this time," Henry asked, the concern evident in his face.

"Of course not," Regina replied with a smile. "I've had you, my little prince."

Henry smiled and took a couple minutes to think.

"You've been really accepting of Emma as my other mom," Henry said, remembering to make it clear that Emma hadn't replaced her. "Has it been hard?"

"I thought it would be," Regina mused, "but it really hasn't been. Since we made peace, she's been very clear with me that she doesn't want you to lose me. It might be hard for me to believe that someone would care that much for my feelings, but I know that she cares about _your_ feelings, and that's enough."

"You think Emma doesn't care about you," Henry asked.

"No, not necessarily. It's just that… My life has largely been filled with two kinds of people, those that I used, and those that used me. I've witnessed kindness between people, but it's never been something I shared with another, since Daniel," Regina tried to explain.

 _"Like an abused puppy,"_ Henry thought, but was smart enough not to say it. "But you're starting to trust Emma, because she's been taking care of you, right?"

"I suppose I am."

"And you've been doing things for her," Henry continued. "Like having Gramma and Grampa over, even though you don't really like them. And I think she mentioned something about you helping her with paperwork at the station."

"Those are little things," Regina replied dismissively. "Hardly worth mentioning."

"Would you do a bigger thing for her," Henry asked, trying to pin her down.

Regina sighed in exasperation. "I suppose. She is your other mom, after all."

Henry nodded to himself and looked back to his book.

* * *

"The things I do for you, kid," Emma complained good naturedly as she sat down a small stack of papers in front of her son. "What you missed today, courtesy of Mary Margaret, who insisted on lecturing me about letting my son skip school."

Henry cringed. "Sorry, but I really had to."

Emma ruffled his hair. "I know. Good thing you're so cute."

Henry smiled and asked Emma, "Could you come upstairs and help me get started?"

"Wouldn't your mom do a better job," Emma asked skeptically.

"She's busy. That just leaves you."

"Fine," Emma sighed, following Henry up the stairs.

Back inside his room, Henry closed the door and motioned for his mother to take a seat. "What I really want to talk you about is Operation Cobra."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that over? You know, curse broken and all that?"

"We haven't had a debrief," Henry insisted.

Emma laughed and leaned back against the wall. "All right. Where do you want to get started?"

"How do you think my mom is doing?"

Emma's eyebrows went up. "You mean since the curse broke?"

"Yeah," Henry answered. "I think you've seen more of her since then than I have."

Emma scrunched her nose. "I suppose that is true, isn't it?" It took her a moment to switch from counting time spent together to evaluating Regina's mood. "I suppose she's been doing great, all things considered."

"So no signs of the Evil Queen making a comeback," Henry asked, confident he already knew the answer.

"Not a one," Emma confirmed.

"Awesome. So are you ready to tell me what gramma and grampa did to punish mom?"

Emma felt like she'd just been ambushed. "Uh… I don't know if…"

"Oh come on," Henry interrupted. "I've already talked to mom about it. It sounded pretty… well not pretty," Henry bluffed. "I want to know what you thought about it."

"Just how much did Regina tell you," asked in surprise.

 _"Got her."_ Putting on a saddened expression Henry answered, "Probably too much…"

"I'm so sorry kid. You shouldn't have to know that. That's not fair to you." Emma shook her head. "I hated being there and having to watch. I only stayed because someone needed to have your mom's back."

Henry noticed immediately the way Emma cringed when she referred to his mother's back. "Is she gonna have scars," Henry probed.

"No. Thankfully," Emma assured him. "Turns out one of the perks of being the savior is healing magic. I was able to turn the whip marks into little more than a sun burn."

Henry's eyes widened. "They whipped her," he blurted out.

"You said she…" Emma looked at Henry in shock. "Oh Henry… your mom is going to kill me."

"Don't worry. I won't say anything," Henry assured. "Is that why you're helping her, because you feel guilty for letting them do that to her?"

"No," Emma replied. "I'm helping your mom because she's your mom, and whatever else she may have done, she's been a damn good mom to you."

"So it's paying her back then, for taking care of me when you couldn't?"

"Henry," Emma began, growing exasperated, "it's not something you can look at that simply."

Emma moved closer to her son and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Since the curse broke I've had a chance to see a different side of your mom, the loving, would-do-anything-for-her-son, side. I met a lot crappy people in my life who claimed to want to be a mom to me. So believe me when I say that Regina's something special. You absolutely scored getting her as your mom."

"You like her, don't you," Henry asked.

Emma gave a lopsided grin. "I guess I do."

"I think she like you too," Henry replied, trying to plant a seed. "She thinks you're her first real friend since Daniel."

Her eyes widened in surprise as he continued, "But don't mention that to her, she'd probably just deny it. She thinks she has an image to maintain. It just wouldn't do to get to chummy with the peasants."

"Hey," Emma replied, giving Henry a playful punch. "I think you're forgetting that _I'm_ a princess." Emma shook out her hair, trying to look the part. "I'm sure you're mom hasn't forgotten."

"I'm sure you're right," Henry agreed.

* * *

After Emma had gone, Henry dug out one of his older Wolverine comics and withdrew a folded sheet of paper from it. He looked over his notes on Operation Cobra for a minute before returning the paper and the comic to his closet.

Grabbing a different comic and a new sheet of paper, he considered what to name the new operation.

 _"Operation SwanQueen? No, that's stupid, and way too obvious."_

Henry leaned back in his chair to think. _"Something to do with my mom, the evil queen, and my other mom, the savior."_

His mind wandered back to the storybook and a grin slid across his. Taking up pen and paper, he put down a heading on the page.

 _Operation Mother Goose_


	13. 13 - Madness

Chapter 13 – Madness

* * *

"So David and Mary Margaret are both pretty adamant that it wasn't Ruby who did it," Emma finished.

"Well someone did it. You just need to find the real killer, then people will stop blaming her," Henry replied.

"Cui bono," Regina asked, taking a sip of wine. The three of them sat around the dinner table discussing the case that Emma and David had been working on that day.

"Is that a character I haven't heard of, from the enchanted forest," Henry asked in confusion.

Emma shook her head. "No, it's a lawyer thing, probably Latin. It basically means _who benefits_." Emma looked to Regina. "Can't really say I know who wins from knocking off a mechanic and framing a waitress."

Regina sighed. "It's not about them, it's about Snow and Charming."

"How's that," Emma asked skeptically.

"Power flows from credibility. Having been the ones to make the Evil Queen bow down, the Charmings have it in spades. If one wanted to supplant them, they'd need to sap that credibility. What better way than to make it look like they are covering up a murder and risking the lives of the townspeople in order to protect a personal friend."

"Okay," Emma nodded. "So who benefits from that?"

"Any of the other royals, Cinderella, Thomas, Abigail, Frederick… or the one who is almost certainly behind this, King George." Regina's lip curled. "He's a monster who absolutely hates your parents."

"More than you," Emma asked, half-jokingly.

"More, yes? As successfully, no," Regina replied, almost proudly.

"So then what's his next move," Henry asked, trying to drag the conversation somewhere more constructive.

Regina pondered briefly. "He'll make his move tonight, while it's still Wolf's Time. I'd look for him to be leading a crowd of angry townspeople to wherever Ms. Lucas happens to be hiding tonight."

"Crap," Emma muttered, throwing down her napkin and looking at the darkening sky through the window. "I'll give Snow and David a call on my way out."

Emma touched Regina briefly on the shoulder as she walked passed. "Thanks for the tip."

Henry waited to hear the sound of the front door closing before turning to look at his mother. "Why aren't you going to help?"

"Ms. Swan and the Charmings are more than capable of handling that… man," Regina replied, remembering not to say ass at the last moment.

"Well yeah, they'll win, but what if he hurts them before he's stopped," Henry asked.

Regina sighed and grabbed her son's hand. "Henry, I need to stay out of this, for your sake. Remember what I said about not getting drawn into fights? This is one of the things I was talking about."

Henry frowned, but considered. "Could you go just in case? Maybe do something without being noticed?"

Regina stared at him for a moment before looking heavenward and shaking her head.

* * *

Once they were all in Emma's office, and the door closed, she laid into Regina, "What the Hell was that?"

"I don't like your tone, Ms. Swan," Regina snapped back.

"Why did you even show up if you were just going to stand around and do nothing," Emma demanded. "You could have done that from home!"

Regina glanced at Snow and David before returning her attention to Emma. She said nothing.

"Oh, so now you're not even going to defend yourself. You're just gonna stand there and let me rail at you, the same way you stood there while the bastard pointed a gun at my dad," Emma raged.

Regina noticed the subtle smiles from both Snow and David, but remained silent.

"He could have killed David, and Ruby, and me. Do you seriously not care? I thought we'd come farther than this?"

The hint of a smile on Regina's face only made Emma madder.

"If that gun hadn't misfired, Henry would have lost his grandfather. We're you really fine with going home and telling our son that you stood around and did nothing while George murdered grampa?" Emma was livid.

Regina's eyes narrowed and her smile disappeared, but still, she remained silent.

David had a sudden look of confusion on his face and Snow opened her mouth to speak, but Emma powered on.

"You could have poofed away his gun, or David, or George. You could have thrown up a shield or something else. You could have done anything other than just standing in the back of the crowd smirking. I ask again, what the Hell?"

"Are you quite done Ms. Swan," Regina asked. Emma merely trembled with anger. "Good, now here," Regina continued, holding out her right hand, which was closed in a fist.

Emma's eyes darted back and forth from Regina's face to her hand. She slowly extended her arm, holding her palm open below Regina's. Into it dropped two metal rods. "What are these," Emma asked in confusion.

"Firing pins," Regina deadpanned.

"You," Emma began, shaking with emotion. "Infuriating woman. You set me up. You knew I wouldn't know what you did, and you knew I'd run my mouth at you, and you just stood there, letting me dig this huge hole!"

Finally, Emma laughed. "Damn you, woman."

"Now," Regina began, "to answer your unspoken question. Why didn't I just poof the guns away or put up a shield?"

Regina held up a single finger, "One. I'm trying to maintain a low profile for Henry's sake. I don't want anyone to think that I'm active anymore." She raised a second finger, "And two. King George just tried to murder your father in front of dozens of witnesses. He even grabbed that rifle, when his pistol wouldn't fire, and made a second attempt."

Regina leaned forward. "Your parents now have enough evidence to bury him."

David smiled. "Thanks, Regina."

Regina nodded in acknowledgement and turned to leave, but paused and looked back. "On that… afternoon… I bent the knee to all three of you, swearing fealty. Some may think it was just for show, but for me, it was for Henry." Emma watched as Regina's eyes softened. "You know what that means."

* * *

Returning home, Regina lifted her arms to lower the protection spell she'd placed around her home and stepped inside. She smirked to herself. _"Keeping peasants out and princes in."_

Heading upstairs, she went to Henry's room and looked in. Sure enough, he was still awake.

"How did it go, mom? Is everyone okay?"

Regina nodded with a smile. "Of course. I did exactly what you said and managed to thwart King George without anyone being the wiser."

"Awesome. Emma must have been so happy you came," Henry suggested, making Regina burst out laughing.

Henry's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Regina replied with a giggle. "I did exactly as you said and made sure _no one_ noticed I was interfering."

Holding her hands up apologetically, she continued, "It's possible that Emma was under the impression that I'd, left her to the wolves, so to speak. And it's possible that I let her go on thinking that while she railed at me down at the police station. And it's possible that her parents were standing right next to her watching her…"

"Okay, stop, I get it," Henry begged with a laugh. "So you had a lot of fun tonight?"

"I did," Regina replied brightly.

"Do you think Emma will be mad," Henry asked.

Regina shook her head. "I doubt it. She's probably miffed that I pulled one over on her, but I'm sure she'll get me back somehow."

Henry grinned. "And you're looking forward to that?"

"I actually am."

"You really like Emma, don't you," Henry pushed.

She didn't know if Henry had meant it like _that_ , but it still made her blush. "Emma's… Emma. And I'm very happy to have her as a friend."

Henry nodded, deciding that was enough, for now. "Goodnight, mom."

Regina leaned in and gave him Eskimo kisses. "Goodnight, my little prince."


	14. 14 - Loyalty

Chapter 14 – Loyalty

* * *

"Butter me up all you want. I'm still going to get you back," Emma said as she took the offered bag from Regina. Her face lit up slightly as she looked inside, "Ooh, onion rings."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I am well aware that you will make some sort of half-hearted attempt to 'get me back,' Ms. Swan. Still, I thought you could use some lunch."

Emma was already swallowing her second ring. "Thanks."

Regina nodded and pulled out her grilled chicken sandwich. "I see you already took out the trash."

"Hmm," Emma asked, before realizing, "Oh, King George. Yeah, David hauled him off to the psych ward beneath the hospital. It seemed the best place to keep him for now."

Emma watched as Regina paused mid bite and seemed to lose herself in thought. She watched with a raised eyebrow, waiting for her to resume eating before asking, "Something on your mind?"

"Nothing important," Regina dismissed.

Squinting, Emma reminded her, "I have a super power, you know."

Regina sighed and began taping her foot in irritation. "I'm unsettled," she admitted.

"About George," Emma asked in surprise.

"No," Regina replied with a shake of her head.

Emma pulled the cheeseburger out of the bag, deciding to allow the brunette time to organize her thoughts.

Eventually Regina seemed to make a decision and asked, "That pardon you gave me, you were serious?"

"Yeah," Emma replied hesitantly. "Why? Is there something else you've done that I should know about?"

"You probably already know, or at least suspect." Regina paused to gather her nerve. "I tried to frame your mother for murder."

"You're right, I did already know," Emma replied, wondering what Regina was getting at.

"But I'm not the one locked up in the psych ward, Sidney is."

"And now that George is sharing a room right next door, you finally remembered him," Emma finished.

Cringing, Regina was forced to admit that was more accurate than she would have liked. "He doesn't deserve to be there, it was my fault."

"So… you want me to let him go," Emma asked.

"I…" Regina struggled to find the right words. "It's not that simple."

Emma lifted a single eyebrow.

"Do you know who Sidney was in the Enchanted Forest," Regina asked.

Half-shrugging, Emma replied, "I think the kid thought he was the man in the mirror or something."

Regina nodded. "He was, and before that he was the Genie of Agrabah."

"As in, Disney's Aladdin," Emma asked in surprise.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Walt Disney was a fraud, Ms. Swan? His stories were gross fabrications."

"Okay, fine," Emma agreed. "So tell me about the Genie."

"He… had a thing for me. I used it, used him, to make him murder Leopold for me," Regina confessed.

Emma nodded. "So… you want to throw him a parade?"

"For heaven's sake, Ms. Swan. Can you act like an adult for five minutes?"

Holding up her hands in submission, Emma mouthed a quick apology, but remained silent.

"Having him locked away is terribly unfair to him," Regina explained, "But having him wandering around Storybrooke, sniffing at my skirts, is also… unsatisfactory."

Emma snorted.

"I do have an idea," Regina admitted slowly. "But I'd like the use of the Savior's moral compass before running off and doing something rash."

* * *

Having wrapped up their discussion about Sidney, and finished lunch, Regina stood to leave.

"If you've got time," Emma asked, halting her, "Can I ask you about something?"

Regina sat back down. "Of course. What do you need?"

This time it was Emma who was nervous. "I've been thinking about what you said last night… the knee thing… I don't really know what to make of it?"

"Is it just that things aren't done that way in this world," Regina suggested.

"I suppose…" Emma rubbed the back of her neck. "It just kind of sounds like slavery," she admitted.

"I suppose it is, in a way," Regina replied thoughtfully.

Emma sat across from her, too surprised to speak. She had so expected a denial, an angry response to the suggestion that she was anyone's slave, and yet she hadn't denied it. Emma found it unnerving.

"When you really get down to it, back in the Enchanted Forest, anyone who wasn't a King or Queen was little more than a slave to one. Every King was an absolute monarch, who could take anything they wanted, even someone's life, with no justification at all." Regina bowed her head, thinking back to some of the atrocities that she had committed as Queen.

"Why the Hell do my parents want to go back to that," Emma asked in disgust.

Regina shrugged. "It was their home. For many people, that's enough. That and… you only see the shackles if you really look for them." Regina looked away. "Growing up the way I did, I never saw the shackles, _but I could feel them._ "

 _"_ _This is all kinds of fucked up,"_ Emma thought. Staring at Regina, the way she was sitting, her posture, the empty look on her face... _"I see them. And the day the curse broke at the hospital… I was the one that put them on her."_

Emma stood abruptly, "I need to go. I'll a… catch you for dinner okay?"

Regina looked back at Emma. She was surprised by the blonde's abrupt departure, but shrugged it off and simply nodded.

"I'll bring pizza. You've cooked a lot lately and I uh… I don't want you to cook tonight."

* * *

Sidney's eyes slowly opened and he yawned.

"Welcome back, Sidney," Regina began.

Startled, Sidney glanced around and tried to gather his bearings. He was in his car… belted into the passenger seat… Regina was sitting behind the wheel… and they were… in the middle of nowhere. "What's going on?"

"What's the last thing you remember," Regina asked calmly.

"I don't know. I um… I was sent to the asylum for Mrs. Nolan's kidnapping, after that the days just started to blur together. How long has it been?"

"About six months," Regina replied. "But it's over now. I got you out, and now, I'm going to help you make a clean getaway."

His eyes widening, Sidney stammered. "You broke me out?"

"Of course Sidney." Regina gave him a reassuring pat on the knee. "You didn't think I would just forget about you, did you?"

"It never crossed my mind," Sidney replied, trying to sound more sure than he was.

"Well, I'm just sorry that it took so long." Regina smiled. "Here, you'll need these." As she passed him the packet, Regina continued, "I've created a whole new identity for you. Inside you'll find a driver's license, passport, birth certificate, some money to get you started, along with a map and an address to a safe house in Boston. I've also taken the liberty of putting Massachusetts license plates on your car, and altering the DMV records so that your VIN won't draw any red flags."

Regina leaned in towards him. "Believe me when I say, they are never going to find you."

"I uh… I don't know what to say," Sidney replied in astonishment. He opened the packet and got a look at his passport. "Rob Williams…"

Regina maintained a calm façade as she screamed internally. _"For crying out loud, Ms. Swan! Was this your way of getting back at me?"_

"I suppose I should let you get going," she said finally.

They both exited the car and Sidney came around to take his place behind the wheel. Rolling down the window, he looked up at Regina. "Thank you for doing this. I don't know how risky this was for you… but I know it wasn't free."

Regina placed her hands on the door and leaned down to the open window. "Listen. I know that you've kind of had a thing for me over the years and I know that I haven't always been a good friend to you. Worse than that, I've taken advantage of you and I'm sorry for that." She gave him a sympathetic look. "What I want you to do now is take off and forget about me. Start over somewhere else, find someone who loves you, and if you want, start a family. Henry is the best thing that ever happened to me and… I hope you're able to go out and find something that will make you just as happy."

Sidney smiled up at her, feeling misty-eyed. "Goodbye, Madam Mayor."

"Goodbye, old friend."

After watching the taillights fade into the distance, Regina turned around and walked back across the town line. _"Goodbye."_


	15. 15 - Debts

Chapter 15 – Debts

* * *

Snow looked around the dinner table, trying to decide if everyone had settled in enough to announce the town's latest problem. Each had at least two slices of pizza on their plate, but Emma and David were still snagging pieces of cheese bread from the two bags in the center of the table.

Once everyone had leaned back and started eating, Snow sat down her half eaten slice and looked over towards Regina. "I was talking to Granny today and I think we may have a problem."

"Oh no," Regina replied in mock horror. "Don't tell me… Don't tell me the bear claw supply has been threatened?" Her eyes, filled with fake concern turned to Emma, "What ever shall you do?"

Henry snickered while Emma ripped off a chunk of cheese bread and threw it at Regina. Snow ignored the interruption and continued, "Apparently someone new came into town last night and rented a room at the Bed and Breakfast."

"Someone new as in…" Emma tried to lead.

"Someone who isn't from the Enchanted Forest," Snow confirmed.

Regina frowned. "That… shouldn't be happening. But, I suppose with the curse broken, it's possible that Storybrooke is no longer as hidden as it once was."

"What do we know about the new guy," Emma asked.

"He claims to be a nature photographer," David replied. "Ruby wasn't able to get a straight answer out of him on why he decided to come here or how long he intends to stay."

"I think we can all agree that having an outsider sniffing around, now that magic is back, would be a terrible risk." Snow waited for nods from around the table before continuing, "So now we just have to figure out how to get rid of him, and preferably, how to keep anyone else from stumbling into Storybrooke."

"While I have every confidence that the rest of you can handle this newcomer, hiding the town is almost certainly going to require magic. A lot of it, if I'm not mistaken," Regina explained.

"So what would her majesty suggest," David asked.

"Please don't call me that. You of all people should remember that I've abdicated," Regina snapped.

Henry and Emma's thoughts both jumped to Regina's punishment and they both found themselves growing cool towards the couple seated across from them.

"I'm sorry," David apologized, "Force of habit. Regina, what would you suggest we do?"

"The way I see it, Storybrooke's magical assets consist of myself, Blue and the fairies, Rumple, and, to a lesser extent, Ms. Swan." Regina noticed Snow's surprise and decided to elaborate. "Being the product of True Love has imbued Emma with a certain amount of light magic. Her skill isn't very well developed, at least not yet, but she does have powers."

"When did you find out," Snow asked.

Emma grimaced. "This may not be the best time to have that conversation," she suggested, flicking her eyes towards Henry.

"I already know what happened. They talked about it at school," Henry replied, acknowledging the issue while covering for Emma.

All of the adults at the table suddenly stopped eating, their appetites gone.

Regina was the first to recover. "What happened that day…"

"Was wrong," Snow interrupted. "What we did that day was wrong, and I can't tell you how glad I am that Emma was there to help cleanup the mistake we made." She turned to the brunette at the head of table. "I'm sorry, Regina."

Snow and Regina shared a look of understanding. They had both decided that their family was more important than their pride, and they could both see that in the other for the first time.

"I'm not going to say that it's okay," Regina began, "But it is forgiven." She looked down at her plate, trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone. "I think I got off rather easy, all things considered."

* * *

Emma found Regina in her study, tumbler in hand, and staring into the fire. The Charmings had long since left and Henry had just recently been tucked in by his mothers.

"Hey… Regina," Emma began awkwardly.

"Emma," Regina asked, looking up from the fireplace.

"I just wanted to tell you that I can see what you're doing. I see how far you're going to try and fix things between me and my parents. Thank you. It's… been a real gift to me… but I don't want you to think this is something you have to do. This is your home and you do not have to have them here if you don't want them. I don't want to impose on you like that."

Regina smirked. "I've actually gotten a strange satisfaction out of being kind to them. Not the kind part, of course, but the forcing them to be grateful to me part."

Emma smirked back.

"I suppose I'm taking revenge little nibbles at a time now."

Emma's smirk became a grin. "Well whatever it is, thank you."

* * *

 _Emma strode into the Mayor's office and slammed the door behind her._

 _Regina stood up from behind her desk. "What is the meaning of this, Sheriff?"_

 _She grabbed the brunette by the front of her shirt and pulled her closer. "You've been a naughty girl, madam mayor, and now you need to be punished."_

 _Emma grabbed the mayor's blouse with both hands and ripped it open, sending buttons flying. As the blouse came off, the rest of her clothes seemed to fall away as well, leaving her naked._

 _Regina bowed her head timidly, but was forced to raise it again when Emma reached out for her collar and pulled her closer._

 _Her gaze fell to the tag. Lifting it she read, 'Property of Emma Swan'._

 _"Damn right you are," she growled. Emma slowly circled the brunette, taking in her features and letting her fingers feather across her skin._

 _"Help me out of my clothes," Emma commanded._

 _"Yes, Princess," Regina replied obediently, carefully pushing the red leather jacket off the blonde's shoulders. She set it aside almost reverently before taking Emma's white tank top and lifting it slowly up and off of her._

 _As Regina reached for her bra, Emma stopped her. "No, you haven't earned the right to see them." With a wave of her hand a blindfold appeared over Regina's eyes and a padded table appeared in the center of the room._

 _Shucking her bra, Emma climbed onto the table, lying flat on her stomach. "Come. Attend to me."_

 _"Yes, Princess." Regina stepped forward slowly, trying not to walk into anything. Finding the table she climbed on to it and straddled Emma's thighs. Leaning forward she carefully swept the blonde hair off Emma's back and began massaging her._

 _Tension slowly left Emma's back, only to settle elsewhere. With another flourish of her wrists Emma was seated naked on a couch with Regina kneeling between her legs. "Please me," she demanded._

 _"Yes, Princess."_

* * *

 _"Princess," came the soft voice, bringing Emma back into her body. "May I please be allowed to see Henry now?"_

 _Emma noticed the new tone in Regina's voice. The willing, almost sensual, obedience had been replaced by fear. "I've been a good girl, Princess. I've done all that you asked. Please let me see Henry. Please let me see my son."_

 _Suddenly the room was pitch black and Emma was alone. Moments later a single spotlight came on, illuminating Regina, who was now on her knees with her arms chained above her head._

 _A loud crack filled the room, followed by Snow's voice, "One hundred fifty one."_

 _Regina was sobbing now, crying out to Emma, "Please Princess, make them stop!"_

 _Crack!_

 _"Why won't you make them stop?"_

 _Crack!_

 _"I thought you were my friend?"_

 _Crack!_

 _"Please don't make my son hate me!"_

 _Crack!_

 _"Tell him I loved him. Tell him I'm sorry."_

 _Crack!_

 _"He's such a… precious boy. Don't let him take the path I did."_

 _Suddenly Emma was standing in front her, Emma's arm reaching into her chest and pulling out Regina's blackened heart. "I'm going home, grabbing Henry, and taking him far away from this shit hole of a town you've created."_

 _"Please Emma, no, I beg you…"_

 _Emma shook her head. "I can't let you hurt him ever again."_

 _As she squeezed she could hear the brunette screaming, the sound suddenly stopping as dust passed through Emma's fingers._

Emma sat up so fast she vaulted off the bed and landed on the floor. She felt like throwing up, her whole body was trembling, and her heartbeat was pounding in her ears.

She'd crawled to the bedroom door before finding the strength to stand. She staggered across the basement, her steps slowly becoming steadier as she approached the stairwell.

Grabbing the rail she practically pulled herself up the stairs.

She didn't stop when she reached Regina's bedroom, simply opening the door and crawling straight into her bed, desperately craving her warmth.

"Henry," Regina asked sleepily before opening her eyes and taking in her bed mate. "Emma?"

She came quickly awake as she realized that the blonde was having a near panic attack. "Emma, what's wrong?"

The genuine concern in her voice clawed at Emma. She began silently sobbing as Regina pulled her in to her arms.

Regina was rather frightened by the behavior she was seeing, but forced herself to be strong.

"I don't know what's wrong, Emma, but it's going to be okay." She lowered her head and kissed her hair, then her forehead. "I'm right here with you Emma. You're safe here with me. I'm not going to let anything hurt you."

If anything, the kind words made Emma cry harder than before.

* * *

Emma felt safe. Strong arms were wrapped around her. Heat radiated off the woman behind her. Regina's scent enveloped her. As she woke she began remembering her nightmare from the previous night.

Regina knew the blonde was awake from the way she had snuggled into her one moment before growing incredibly tense the next. "Tell me what's wrong, dear. Whatever it is, we'll face it together."

The words shamed her. She didn't deserve this woman's compassion. "I dreamed about you last night," Emma confessed.

"Not a good dream?"

"No… it was… I hurt you and…"

"Shhh," Regina whispered. "It wasn't real. If there's one thing I've learned by now, it's that you have no desire to hurt me."

"Graham." The single word embodied Emma's shame.

"You do recall what I used to do when I was angry," Regina replied.

"I should be better than this. You deserve better than this," Emma insisted.

Regina hugged her just a little bit tighter.

Shrugging out of Regina's arms, Emma rolled over to face her and snuggled back in. "You matter to me."

After a moment's silence, Emma continued, "You and Henry are the two most important people in my life. I don't know what this… thing between us is, but I know that it's…. the things I saw last night, the things I did…"

Regina cupped Emma's chin. "We have no control over our dreams, but your reaction to this one should tell you something. That you came here, to me, tells me something."

Before Emma could reply, Henry crept into the doorway. "I see how it is."

Regina and Emma pulled apart and made sure they were both covered up.

"Please. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

"Henry," Regina began before stopping herself. "If this _was_ what it looks like, how would you feel about that?"

Emma's eyes snapped back to Regina in surprise.

 _"Looks like my job just got a whole lot easier,"_ Henry thought. "It would be… pretty awesome actually."

"Really," Emma squeaked.

"Well yeah. You're always looking out for each other and taking care of each other. I'd know you were both with someone safe, someone who wouldn't hurt you."

Henry smiled when Regina gave him the same look she'd given him when he presented her with his clay handprint in kindergarten, like he'd just given her something she would cherish. "I want you both to be happy, and I think you do that for each other. I love you, moms. Both of you."

The moment was broken up by the sound of the doorbell.

Regina turned to look at her bedside clock. "Who on Earth…"

"Don't worry," Emma interrupted as she got out of bed. "I got this."

Emma walked passed Henry and headed down the stairs.

"Gold," Emma responded in surprise to the visitor at their door.

"Ms. Swan," he answered. "I'm afraid this isn't a social call. You owe me a favor and I'm here to cash it in."

"Really," Emma replied skeptically as Regina joined her at the door.

"Really. And you'd best start packing. Our plane leaves in three hours and we still need to drive out to Logan." Rumpelstiltskin paused to look down at Emma's bare legs. "And while I approve of your attire dearie, I hear it's a bit nippy in New York."

* * *

"I assure you, we'll be perfectly safe in your absence."

Emma paused stuffing her bag long enough to give Regina a look. It wasn't skepticism, just… discomfort.

"If it would make you feel better dear, I'll put a protection spell on the house every night after Henry and I come home," Regina offered.

Emma looked down bashfully. "Maybe," she mumbled.

Regina smiled, "Then I'll do it. And if our town's unwanted guest shows any signs of bring a threat, I'll ask your idiot parents to stay over. If nothing else, Henry can use them as human shields."

"Thanks," Emma replied with a smile, but it quickly faded. "I wish we had time to talk."

Regina took Emma's hand and massaged it gently with her thumb. "I know. Just remember that these feelings we have, and this bond between us, they didn't show up overnight. They'll still be here when you get back. I promise."

Emma pulled Regina into a tight hug. "I'll miss you," she whispered.

"I'll miss you too. Be safe out there."


	16. 16 - Surprises

Chapter 16 - Surprises

* * *

"Hello, Regina," Emma asked.

"Emma. You sound stressed. Is everything all right," Regina asked. Sensing a longer conversation coming, she abandoned her gardening and headed back into the mansion.

"No… everything is not alright… I… I fucked up," she blurted out.

"Okay. Calm down. Whatever it is, we can handle it," Regina replied in a soothing voice.

"Okay, okay… so here's the thing… I lied to Henry about something and it just blew up in my face."

Regina paused. "Does Henry know yet?"

"No," Emma snorted. "But he will tomorrow evening."

"Why don't you start at the beginning," Regina suggested. "What did you tell Henry that wasn't true?"

"I told him his dad was a firefighter who died a hero before he was born."

"And the truth is…"

"I was dating a thief who framed me for a crime he committed and left me to have his baby in jail. He didn't know I was pregnant, not until today, but still. He royally screwed me over," Emma explained.

"By, _until today_ , I assume that you ran into this sperm donor and decided to come clean to him," Regina asked.

"What? Hell no! I didn't want to tell him squat." Emma paused. "And then things got worse."

Regina took a calming breath. "What else happened?"

"Turns out that Henry's dad, the man I knew as Neal Cassidy, his real name is Baelfire."

"Are… Are you… Are you saying that the dark one is Henry's grandfather?"

"Yeah," Emma admitted. Regina could her hear cringe over the phone. "Gold could tell I was holding something back and accused me of reneging on our deal."

Regina massaged her forehead with her free hand. "So then we have two problems. Henry is going to find out that you lied to him, and there's an extra person out there who may think he can lay claim to him."

"For the record, I flat out told Neal that he lost his dad privileges when he let me go to prison for him. He'd like to meet the kid, but as far as I'm concerned we owe him nothing else. The real problem is that Henry…" Emma trailed off with a sigh.

"Henry may want to get to know his biological father," Regina finished for her. "Which he has every right to do," Regina ground out.

"I'm so sorry."

"You didn't plan for any of this to happen. For all I know this is just another one of Rumple's long term manipulations, a last ditch ploy to make sure that Baelfire will follow him back to Storybrooke." Regina sighed. "Which is where Baelfire should be if he wants to meet his son. I hope you'd agree that while visits in Storybrooke may be acceptable, taking Henry over the town line would not be."

"A hundred percent. I completely back you on that. You're the one with mom experience and I defer to you on all mom-related questions," Emma replied.

Regina smiled for the first time during the conversation. "Alright, then that just leaves the matter of the lie. How about I talk to Henry today, soften him up a little bit, get him ready to listen, then you call and tell him tonight? I wouldn't normally suggest a conversation like this over the phone, but I think Henry really needs that extra day to process before Baelfire shows up on our doorstep."

"You're right. That sound like a good plan." Emma bit her lip. "I am really sorry about this. I screwed up, trying to take the easy way out about Henry's dad."

"It's going to be okay. Henry has a good heart and I'll make sure he knows you weren't trying to hurt him. Besides, if he can forgive me for all the things I've done, you've got nothing to worry about," Regina assured her.

"Thank you."

* * *

"So… what's up," Henry asked as Regina chose to sit in the booth beside him rather than across from him.

"I have something I need to talk to you about, and I'm afraid it's going to hurt a little bit."

"Did something happen to Emma," Henry asked, his mind jumping immediately to the worst. "I she okay? Did something happen in New York?"

Regina held up her palm to calm him. "Emma is fine, Henry. Yes, something has come up in New York, but Emma is perfectly safe and she'll be back home to tuck you in tomorrow night."

Henry swallowed and tried to calm back down as Ruby approached to take their orders.

"Burger and fries, plain, and a spinach salad," Ruby guessed, looking first at Henry, then at his mother.

Regina looked to Henry, who nodded, before turning back to Ruby. "We'd also like a coffee and a hot chocolate."

"With cinnamon," Henry chimed in.

"With cinnamon," Regina confirmed with a smile.

"You got it. It'll be up in a bit."

Once Ruby was back in the kitchen, Henry picked up their conversation. "Are you going to tell me what happened in New York?"

"No," Regina replied, surprising him. "Emma will be calling later this evening and will tell you herself. I'd merely like to… provide some context, before you talk later."

Henry looked at her skeptically, making Regina sigh.

"Emma lied to you about something, and she's going to come clean to you about tonight. I just want to provide a little background for you, so that you aren't blindsided by what you'll be hearing."

"Why would Emma lie to me," Henry asked, a confused look on his face.

"About that… I think Emma's going to give you her reason for the lie, but I don't think it's going to be true, at least not the whole truth," Regina added.

Henry's brow wrinkled. "That doesn't make any sense."

Regina wrapped her arm around Henry's shoulder. "I suspect that Emma will tell you that she lied to you because she thought the truth would be painful for you, and that's true, but I also think she lied to you because the truth is painful to her."

"Emma had… a very rough childhood," she began. "A lot of painful things happened to her. Someone very close to her betrayed her, and even though that isn't her fault, I think she feels ashamed of it. Telling you the truth would have been painful for her, and probably a little humiliating."

Regina pursed her lips. "Do you remember what I told you about my mother?"

Henry thought on it. He'd heard a fair amount his grandfather, but very little on his grandmother. "I think I remember you saying she was really strict or something."

"That is what I told you," Regina confirmed. "She wasn't merely strict though. She was abusive. She crossed many lines that a mother should never cross."

Henry looked up at her sadly as she continued. "Emma and I both had numerous painful events in our younger years, so when Emma confessed to the lie that she told you, I immediately understood where it came from, even if she doesn't yet."

"When Emma tells you the truth tonight, I want you to remember that it's a very painful truth to her. I know you'll be angry and disappointed, but I hope you can also try and be compassionate. She never meant to hurt you, she was just trying to protect herself. And she _had_ to protect herself, because no one else in her life ever would."

"That sounds really sad," Henry admitted.

"It is really sad. So I'd ask that you be as forgiving as you can."

Henry nodded. "I'll try."

Regina squeezed him in a side hug. "That's my little prince."

* * *

Midway through their meal, Regina noticed someone she didn't recognize sitting at the far end of the bar. He was trying to be subtle, but she noticed him stealing glances at her and Henry from time to time.

When Ruby came by to refill her coffee, Regina inquired. "Tell me Ms. Lucas, our town's uninvited guest, is that him at the end of the bar?"

"That's right," Ruby confirmed, without checking to look. "Seems to be awfully interested in something at this table."

Regina smiled tightly. "Thank you, Ms. Lucas."

As she continued eating, Regina became more and more aware, and disturbed, by the looks she was getting. What bothered her more though, was that it appeared he was spending just as much time looking at Henry, as at her.

Having finished and paid, Regina and Henry headed for the door. Just before reaching it Regina stopped and looked down at her son. "Could I have you do me a favor Henry?"

"Sure. What is it mom?"

Regina lowered herself a bit to be at Henry's eye level. "Would you mind heading over to see your grandfather? He's been getting a little forgetful lately and I'd like you to remind him that he's supposed to stop by and see me at four o'clock."

The wheels turned in Henry's head. "In case he forgot, where was he supposed to meet you?"

Regina gave him a pleased smirk. "Back here at Granny's."

Henry nodded. "I'll head on over to see him right now."

"Thank you, Henry."

After watching Henry walk out the door and turn to head towards the police station, Regina turned around and took a seat at the bar next to their visitor.

"I couldn't help but notice you seemed to be admiring something on the far end of diner," Regina asked coyly with a subtle grin.

Greg turned in his seat to more fully face the brunette.

Regina could clearly read his nervousness and a bit of apprehension. Leaning in towards him in such a way as to give him an unobstructed view down her blouse, she asked, "See anything that you liked."

"It's… a very lovely town," Greg replied, trying to keep his eyes on her face and move to a safer subject.

Regina leaned back with a smile. "So it is. What do you like best?"

Greg relaxed slightly. Falling back into his cover he replied, "I've made something of a hobby of taking nature shots. I think my favorite thing here is the spot where the forest comes right down to the beach. Know the one I'm talking about?"

"I do. It's quite lovely, especially at sunrise," Regina replied wistfully. "It's been too long since I've been out there to see it. And there are so many other beautiful scenes to take in here. If you have a map, I could point out a few."

Greg gave her a half smile. "Unfortunately, I haven't been able to pick one up yet."

"No? Hmmm." Regina tapped her index finger on her chin. "I think, there may be one amongst the free tourist information at city hall. Care to come see?"

"I suppose I could."

Regina smiled and grabbed his hand. "Come on. Let's go."

* * *

"After you," Regina insisted, holding open the door to the currently empty council chambers.

"Are you sure this is where they keep the…" Greg gasped and stood rigid as Regina's hand passed through his back and her fingers wrapped around his heart. He gasped again as Regina jerked her arm back.

Greg turned around to see Regina standing behind him with a wide toothy smile, his heart cradled in her right hand. "I saw the looks you were giving me," Regina said playfully. Her voice dropped and lost all of its warmth. "And I saw the looks you were giving my son."

Greg staggered and cried out when she gave his heart a light squeeze. "And now, you are going to tell me _everything_."


	17. 17 - Confessions

Chapter 17 - Confessions

* * *

"Henry said you had something you wanted to talk to me about," David began as he slipped into the booth. Regina sat across from him nursing a cup of coffee.

"I had a little chat with our uninvited guest," she began. "His name is Owen and he came here with decidedly bad intentions."

"He told you that," David asked in surprise.

Regina simply stared at him.

"I don't want to know how you got him to talk, do I," David said with a sigh.

Regina shook her head.

"So what do we do," he asked.

"Right to the point. One of the few things I like about you, Charming." Regina leaned across the table so they could speak quietly. Granny's was almost empty at the moment, but Regina preferred to be careful.

"There's a threat to the town, one which I would be happy to explain to you in a more private setting. For now, just know that we need to be concerned about the three components necessary to turn that threat into a disaster." Regina paused, giving David time to process.

"The first component, the _threat_ itself, is already well protected. It's guarded, it's concealed, and I plan to add an extra protection spell or two on the one location that it is accessible from."

"You're being awfully vague," David observed.

"With good reason," Regina assured him. "The second component is, of all things, a dwarf's pickaxe."

David's head tilted. "Why?"

"Again, the explanation will come later. Suffice it to say we need to secure them. My suggestion is that you allow me to enchant each of them, so that they can only be lifted by one of the seven dwarves here in town. Would that be acceptable," Regina asked.

"I think so," David replied, nodding to himself. "Let me run it by Snow and the dwarves before you get started."

"I would expect nothing less," Regina agreed.

"So what's the third thing," David asked.

"A malevolent will with knowledge of how to make use of the threat. To that end, we must take steps to neutralize those that would do harm to the town."

"Like Owen." David frowned. "How many of them are there?"

"Two that I'm aware of," Regina admitted. "We'll know more when Owen's accomplice shows up. She's not here yet, but should be on her way soon. Luckily, Ms. Swan and Rumpelstiltskin should beat her here"

Nodding, David mulled over what he'd been told. "That sounds like a decent enough plan. Would you be willing to swing by later tonight and fill us in on the rest?"

"Actually…" Regina let out a heavy sigh. "I made a promise to Emma."

"Oh?"

Regina squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before looking back at David. "I promised her that if the man we now know as Owen was a threat that I'd ask you and Snow to stay over in a guest room to help keep Henry safe."

"Is Owen still on the loose? I was under the impression that…"

"Owen won't be going anywhere," Regina assured him. "But… a promise is a promise, so… will you?"

David grinned. "Will I what?"

Regina scowled. "Insufferable shepherd," she muttered under her breath. "Would you stay over with Henry and me until Ms. Swan returns from New York?"

"Me and Snow would be delighted to," David replied.

Regina slid out of the booth and gave David one last glance before leaving. "Dinner is at six. Don't be late."

* * *

"Hello," Regina answered.

"Hi, it's me," Emma began nervously.

"It's going to be okay, Emma," Regina assured her. "I talked with Henry and laid some groundwork for you. He's going to be fine."

"Okay… is he around."

"I'm heading upstairs now."

At the end of the hall, Regina knocked on her son's door before opening it. He was lying in bed trying to read a comic book. "It's Emma."

Henry nodded with a gulp and extended his arm to take the phone.

Regina paused. "I have something else that I wanted to talk to you about, so I'll call you later. Have a good talk with Henry." Passing the phone she held his hand for a moment. "Come find me when you're done and we can talk, or not talk. Okay?"

"Thanks, mom."

Henry waited till the door shut behind his mother before putting the phone to his ear. "Hi, Emma."

"Hi, kid. How are you doing?"

"I'm nervous. Mom said you had something you had to tell me." _"Please don't be running away."_

"I uhhh… I need to tell you a story Henry. It all starts with the bug," Emma began.

"You're car," Henry asked in confusion.

"Yeah… I sort of stole it."

"Are you serious?"

"Oh it gets better," Emma tried joking. "There was someone asleep in the back seat, and I didn't notice him till he woke up while I was driving."

"You stole someone's car while they were sleeping in the back seat," Henry asked in surprise.

"Well, not exactly. His name was Neal and he was the guy that stole the car before I did. That's right kid. I stole a stolen car."

"Is that how you ended up in prison," Henry asked.

"Not immediately," Emma replied. "First me and Neal went on a little spree. We did a lot of shoplifting and crashing in empty motel rooms. It wasn't the life we wanted, but we were, well, I was young, and we didn't know what we were doing."

"So how did you get caught?"

"Neal asked me to meet him somewhere while he went to fence some expensive watches that he'd stolen a few years earlier. He'd given me one to keep and I thought it was sweet at the time."

Henry could hear Emma's tone change. It was sadder all of a sudden. "He called the cops on me, and since I had one of the stolen watches, they nailed me for the whole thing. That's how I ended up in prison."

"But…" _"That doesn't make any sense."_ "I thought you met my dad before you went to prison. Was that before you stole the car?"

"Henry," Emma said tearfully. "I lied about your dad. He wasn't a firefighter. He wasn't a hero. He was the guy that sent me to prison."

 _"_ _That's what mom meant about getting hurt and being betrayed."_ "I'm sorry, mom. That shouldn't have happened to you."

"Oh, Henry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you about it. I should have told you the truth, at least some of it."

"Did you run in to him in New York," Henry asked. "Is that why you're telling me now?"

Emma sighed. "Yeah, I ran into him, and there's more."

 _"_ _What more could there be? Does he want to take me or something?"_

"Turns out, he threw me under the bus all those years ago because Pinocchio told him to. August convinced Neal that I had a destiny to fulfill and that he needed to get out of the way." Emma's head hurt just thinking about it.

"But… why would Neal believe him? I mean, people in the real world don't believe in curses and destiny and stuff."

"We didn't run into Neal on accident," Emma admitted. "We came here looking for him?"

"But I thought…" _"That would mean that Rumpelstiltskin's son is my father?"_

"Yeah. Neal's real name is Baelfire. He's Gold's kid," Emma confirmed.

"What happens now," Henry asked.

"Now… now Neal is coming back to Storybrooke and was hoping for a chance to meet you." Emma swallowed. "Is that something you want?"

 _"_ _Do I want to meet the jerk who hurt my mom?"_ "I don't know. I mean, he's my dad, but he's also…" Henry trailed off. "I want to hate him for hurting you."

"But it's hard, isn't it," Emma empathized. "You've probably always felt like you were missing out on not having a dad, and now here he is, but he's not all that you hoped for."

 _"_ _No kidding."_

"I'm sorry about all of this, kid. Are you going to be okay? Do you think you can forgive me," Emma asked nervously.

"You didn't mean to hurt me," Henry replied, working through his thoughts and feelings. "You shouldn't have lied about my dad, but you never meant for me to be hurt by it."

"I really didn't."

"I know. And I forgive you."

Emma's shoulder's slumped in relief. "Remind me to thank your mom for raising such a sweet kid."

"Sure," Henry replied, suddenly grinning. "Do you think you could do that right before Christmas or my Birthday?"

Emma laughed. "And there's the Swan side you shining through."

* * *

"How did it go," Regina asked as Henry came in to her study.

"Okay, I guess." Henry shrugged and sat down on a cushioned chair.

"Want to talk about it," Regina offered.

"I think I just need to think a bit."

Regina nodded. "You do that, and if you decide you do want to talk, I'll listen."

Henry sat silently, trying to put together all of the new pieces he'd been given. He wanted to understand the story, where it was, where it had been, and where it was going.

"Can I ask you a question, mom?"

"Of course, Henry. What is it," Regina asked, setting down the book she'd been reading.

"You really like Emma, and I've noticed you've gotten rather protective of her." When Regina nodded, Henry continued. "She said my dad was going to come to Storybrooke to meet me." He paused. "After everything he did to Emma, are you going to try and kill him?"

"What," Regina exclaimed in shock. "No, Henry. I am not going to try and kill the man who fathered you." She calmed herself before continuing. "If I can have the Charmings as guests in my home then I can certainly restrain myself around that man."

The way Henry nodded as if he was merely taking in information and showing no signs of relief struck Regina as odd.

"You didn't want me to kill him, did you," she asked.

Henry's eyes widened. "No. I mean, I don't like him. He hurt my mom. I don't know if I'm going to want anything to do with him, but I don't want you to hurt him either."

"I think I was actually more worried for you than him," he admitted, "about what hurting him would do to you."

Regina smiled broadly. "My sweet little prince. I promise I'll be on my best behavior. You have nothing to worry about, and neither does he."


	18. 18 - Returns

Chapter 18 – Returns

* * *

"So… how is he? Not too traumatized I hope," Emma asked anxiously.

Regina was laying down in bed, her phone propped against her pillow so she didn't have to hold it. "He seems fine." She laughed suddenly. "Actually, the first thing he asked me was if I was planning to kill him for hurting you."

"No way! Really," Emma asked incredulously.

"It's true. I guess he really has noticed how close we've gotten."

Emma smiled, and then had a mischievous thought. "So… Are you going to kill him for me?"

"Emma," Regina gasped. "You really think I would kill the man who knocked up an underage girl and got her sent to prison…"

Emma tensed up, suddenly unsure of what Regina was planning.

"No, dear. If you want him dead, you're going to have to do it yourself. Second-hand revenge just won't do."

Giggling, Emma asked, "Are we really having this conversation."

"Apparently." Emma could hear the smile in Regina's voice, but it was gone too soon. "There is something else we should talk about."

"Oh?"

"This Neal fellow, does he, perchance, have a fiancée named Tamara," Regina asked.

That caught Emma's attention. "Whoa. How did you know that?"

"She seems to be a friend of our town's mysterious stranger, and she's dangerous," Regina replied.

Emma felt herself slipping back into the comfortable roll of a bounty hunter. "How dangerous?"

Regina hesitated, unsure of how much to say. She finally decided that she needed to trust her friend. "They're planning to kidnap Henry, destroy Storybrooke, and kill everyone living in it."

For a long moment, there was dead silence on both ends of the phone. Emma used the time to settle her raging emotions. "What do you want me to do?"

"For now, play dumb. You don't know anything about her, she's just Neal's fiancée, nothing more. Encourage Neal to bring her along, suggest that if Neal is going to be involved in Henry's life then Tamara should get to know his family." Regina concluded coldly, "Once she's here I will deal with her myself."

"Is that safe," Emma asked, "If she wants to destroy the town…"

"She doesn't know it yet, but her accomplice has been completely compromised. I've dismantled virtually every element of their plan. Once we have her I'll make sure that there aren't any other shoes waiting to drop, then we'll remove her," Regina concluded.

Emma shivered a bit. "You sound just a little bit evil right now."

Regina huffed. "When someone threatens my family I reserve the right to use any and every weapon in my arsenal to defend them. Morality be damned."

"Wait…" Emma replayed what Regina has said in her head. "You didn't say threatens Henry. You said threatens your family."

"I did," Regina confirmed.

A second long silence enveloped them. Once again, it was Emma who eventually broke it. "I'm nervous about sleeping tonight."

Regina's thoughts went back to the previous evening. "Because of the nightmare."

Emma found herself nodding silently before remembering she was on the phone. "Yeah."

"You can call me, you know," Regina offered. "Any time of night. Doesn't matter. If you need me, I'm here."

"I don't deserve you," Emma whispered.

"Because you hurt me in a dream?"

"It wasn't just a dream. The things we both said, I swear half of what I heard had been said already. I guess I'm still haunted by that night in your vault," Emma admitted. "I know you've forgiven me but…still."

"I know exactly how you feel," Regina replied.

"You do, don't you?" Emma sighed. "Even the good part of the dream was… disturbing."

"Oh," Regina asked curiously.

"You called me princess," Emma replied, making Regina snort. "But you said princess the same way someone might say master."

"So it was one of _those_ kind of dreams," Regina teased, making Emma blush.

"Maybe."

"You enjoyed it, didn't you," Regina accused playfully.

"Yeah, right up until I realized you weren't actually in to me." The playfulness left Emma's voice. "In the dream I was using Henry to control you."

"It made you sick, didn't it?"

"Yeah."

"I wish that I didn't know how that feels, but I do," Regina admitted.

"Do you think we're going to be able to work passed all this," Emma asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

"If this bothers you, then you care, and if you care, there's hope." Regina cringed. "God, I sound like your mother."

Emma laughed.

Regina thought for a moment then grinned, an idea forming. "I want you to listen to me, Princess."

Her heart stopped for moment when Emma heard Regina use the name from her dream.

"I care about you, Princess. You matter to me, Princess. I know you'll never separate me from my son, Princess. I trust you, Princess. As you go to sleep tonight, I want you to remember my voice, Princess. I want you to remember that it isn't afraid of you, Princess."

"I love you." The words came out of Emma suddenly, surprising them both.

Regina felt warmth spreading through her chest. "I love you too, Princess."

* * *

"Ah, ah, ah, before we go in," Regina began, making Henry take his hand off the door handle and turn back to his mother. "I have a little something I want you to hang on to."

Henry watched as Regina held out her hand, palm up, and a glass marble appeared in a swirl of purple smoke. Henry reached out tentatively and picked it up. It felt incredibly light in his hand and appeared to be hollow. "What is it?"

"It's a… beacon of sorts. I want you put it in your pocket and keep it with you wherever you go. If you find yourself in any trouble, simply crush it. Don't even need to take it out your pocket, just give it a good smack. The moment it cracks I'll know something is wrong and I'll know exactly where you are," Regina explained.

"Are you expecting trouble," Henry asked nervously.

Regina smiled. "I'm just being extra careful. Your… father brought someone with him to Storybrooke, and she isn't to be trusted. I'll answer all your questions later, but for now just be careful and keep the beacon with you at all times. Okay?"

Henry nodded. "Okay. Can we go in now?"

Regina took a deep breath. "I suppose it's time."

The two of them stepped out on opposite sides of the car and made the short walk to Granny's. Inside they saw Emma seated in a booth facing them. Henry slid in beside the blonde while Regina remained standing.

"Hello, my name is Regina," began with a politician's fake smile plastered across her face. "You must be Neal and…"

"Tamara," the woman seated next to Neal offered. Extending her hand, she continued. "Nice to meet you."

Regina gave her hand a firm shake. "Likewise."

Letting go of Tamara's hand, she addressed the group. "I'm afraid I can't stay to chat, I have a prior engagement I can't get out of. Before I go, I'd like to invite you both over for dinner tonight. It'll be a nice meet-the-family get-to-know-you meal. What do you say?"

Neal looked to Tamara for a moment, who nodded, before looking back to Regina. "That sounds nice. Is my papa gonna be there?"

"I'm afraid so. Nevertheless, if I can handle sharing a meal with Emma's parents, you should be able to put up with your father. At least for one night." Regina glanced over at her son and then back to Neal. "For Henry?"

"Fine," Neal replied with a heavy sigh.

"Excellent," Regina replied with a clap of her hands. "Emma should be able to give you directions. Dinner's at seven sharp. I'll see you all then."

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin looked up from his display case as a man he didn't recognize entered the shop. "I'm closing a bit early today, so I'm afraid you'll have to make it quick. Is there anything I can help you find?"

The man walked uncomfortably up to the counter and stood just outside of arms reach. "Regina asked me to come find you. I'm supposed to ask you to wipe my memories."

Rumple laughed. "Did she now? And why would I want to do that, dearie?"

"Because I know about the failsafe."

Rumple froze, all joviality gone. "Why are you here, in Storybrooke?"

"I came to find my father, confirm the presence of magic, kidnap your grandson Henry, and activate the failsafe, destroying the town and killing everyone in it, including you and your son," the man replied in a near monotone.

"What exactly does Regina want me to do," Rumple asked.

"She wants you to take my memories, all of them." Sweat was beginning to trickle down his face. "She would prefer I can tie my own shoes, but doesn't think I deserve to be able to read. Afterwards she wants you to dump me somewhere, she doesn't care where, as long as I can't be traced back to Storybrooke or anyone in it."

Rumple nodded. "I think I've just the thing in the backroom." He started to turn before catching himself and looking back at the now clearly terrified man.

"Since I know that you're listening, allow me to be the first to say… Welcome back, your majesty."


	19. 19 - Dinner

Chapter 19 – Dinner

* * *

"Hey, guys. Come on in," Emma greeted as she opened the door for Neal and Tamara.

"Dinner's about to be served if you'd like to join us in the dining room," Emma continued as she led them inside. "Our parents are already here."

In the dining room sat Rumple on one end of the table, with David and Snow to his left, along with a third empty seat. Emma gestured for Neal to take the seat just to Rumple's left, much to his annoyance.

 _"At least I can keep him away from Tamara,"_ Neal thought as he sat down.

Tamara sat down to his right, with Emma taking the seat to her right.

The center of the table was currently empty while every seat had a well order place setting with a gleaming white plate and actual silverware.

In the kitchen, Henry showed his hands to his mother. She nodded approvingly and he went into the dining room and sat next to Snow, who smiled at him.

Regina walked out carrying a large casserole dish and squeezed between Tamara and Emma to set it on the table. Looking up, she noticed Henry's hands, which were smeared with dirt. "Henry," she admonished. "What have I told you about coming to the table without washing up first?"

Henry gave an overly dramatic sigh and stomped away from the table to head for the wash room.

As soon as she heard the door close Regina plunged her hand thru Tamara's back and yanked out her heart.

Reactions around the table were simultaneous and frantic.

Tamara made a choking sound and turned stare up at Regina with fear in her eyes.

"What the fuck," Neal yelled.

"Do I hear the Rains of Castamere playing," Rumple joked to himself.

David stood up quickly, knocking his chair over in the process and drawing his pistol.

"Regina," Snow gasped.

"Jesus, Regina. Warn me next time," Emma exclaimed.

Regina lifted the heart to her lips and whispered, "Don't move." She then slammed the heart down on to Emma's plate, making the silverware clatter. Without another word she walked around Emma and took her seat at the head of the table, between Emma and Snow, and delicately unfolded her napkin into her lap.

"Seriously. What the fuck was that," Neal demanded.

Regina turned to Emma. "Since there are those at this table who obviously have reason to question my motives, I'd like you to do the honors, Miss Swan."

Emma looked down at her plate and slowly lifted the heart using only her thumb and middle finger. She turned to Regina with a mix of revulsion and confusion on her face. "What am I supposed to do with this thing?"

"Ask her questions and insist she answer them honestly," Regina replied casually. "Speak directly into her heart and she will be completely unable to resist you."

All eyes focused on Emma, except for Tamara's, whose eyes were still staring up at the spot where Regina had been standing when she was commanded her not to move.

Emma decided to jump right in. Getting a more secure grip on the heart she asked, "Tell us what you planned to do when you came to Storybrooke, and don't leave anything out."

Tamara began speaking. "The plan was to try and maintain my cover as Neal's fiancée while gathering as much intelligence as possible on the inhabitants of the town. I was also supposed to meet up with my partner, Greg Mendell. We were planning to meet early tomorrow morning when I go for my morning run."

"Yeah, that's not happening," Rumple interrupted, earning a brief glare from his son.

"When the time was right," Tamara continued, "we were supposed to acquire the trigger to the failsafe, kidnap the boy Henry Mills, and then activate the trigger."

"My God, it _is_ as bad as you told us," Snow apologized. Turning from Regina back to Tamara she asked, "What kind of a monster are you? Kidnapping a child and killing a town full of people?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Neal interrupted. "What the hell are you talking about, killing a town full of people?"

Regina looked to Emma, locking eyes with her, before looking back at the heart she was holding.

"Tell us what you know about the failsafe and the trigger," Emma asked.

"The failsafe was built into the curse that created this town, 29 years ago. The trigger for it is hidden somewhere beneath the town library, protected by something. We don't know what. Once we acquired it we would then activate it by striking it with a dwarf's pickaxe. Triggering the failsafe would cause Storybrooke to disappear and restore the forest to the state it was before the curse." Tamara hesitated for a second before continuing. "We didn't know what would happen to the people in the town. It might have sent them back to wherever they came from, or it might have killed everyone. We were fine either way."

Neal ran a hand through his hair. "Wow I uh… shit. Can I borrow that, Em? I have some questions of my own."

Emma held the heart out in front of Tamara, who continued to sit motionless. Neal took it with two hands and stared at it for a moment. "That day we met… it wasn't an accident, was it?"

"No."

"You've been playing me this whole time," Neal asked.

"Yes."

"Unbelievable," Neal replied, shaking his head. "What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

"Put my heart back in and let me complete my mission," Tamara replied, making Rumple laugh.

"You know what," Neal began, "You go in the living room, and sit in the corner, and you think about what you've done."

"Really Neal," Emma asked as Tamara got up and walked for the living room.

"Yeah, I really don't want to look at her right now," Neal replied.

"Are you done in there," came Henry's yell from down the hall.

"I swear, he wasn't born in a barn," Regina muttered as she stood to go invite Henry back to the table.

"Yeah, cuz the prison infirmary is so much better," Emma grumbled under her breath with a pointed look at Neal, who cringed.

"So what do we need to do make sure none of that crap happens," Neal asked, trying to return to a safer topic.

As Henry and Regina returned to the table and took their seats, David decided to sit back down and jumped in. "I think the only thing we don't have covered at this point is a spell of some sort to hide the town."

"Is that something you can take care of, papa," Neal asked.

Rumple started to open his mouth but abruptly closed it and smiled. "Of course, Bae."

* * *

"Okay, so I gotta ask," Emma began as she joined Henry and Regina in the living room. "Why did we do that at dinner? Why not in private? Why make it a show?"

Regina leaned back on the couch and turned her head to look at her son, who sat in rapt attention. Smiling she asked, "Why don't we make this a game?"

Regina looked back and forth between Emma and Henry. "Why do _you_ think I did it at dinner?"

Emma shrugged. "Don't know, but I'm sure you had a reason."

Regina nodded. Deciding to give them a clue, she asked, "What did we accomplish at dinner?"

Emma rolled her eyes and lifted her finger to begin counting off. "You ruined my mom's appetite by putting a human heart on my plate. You ruined Neal's engagement to Tamara, manipulative back stabber that she was. You got Neal to speak to his dad civilly for probably the first time in two hundred years. And I suppose you saved Henry and the town."

"And which of those could I have only done at dinner," Regina asked with a smirk.

"Made my mom lose her appetite," Emma replied.

Henry frowned and tried to think. _"What was different about dinner? Was it who was there?"_ "You exposed Tamara in front of the whole family," Henry suggested.

Regina pointed at her son. "And…"

Emma and Henry both opened their mouths to answer, but neither came up with anything.

"Who was there that wouldn't normally be," Regina tried asking.

"Neal and Gold," Emma replied, mulling over what that could mean.

"And why did they both need to be there," Regina prodded.

Henry's face lit up as he connected the dots. "So that my dad could ask Mr. Gold to protect the town!" He turned to look at Emma. "If you or mom had asked he would have demanded a favor in return, but…"

"He wouldn't demand a favor from the son he'd just spent God knows how long searching for." Emma looked at Regina and grinned. "You put on that whole show just so one of us wouldn't have to owe him another favor, didn't you?"

Regina gave an exaggerated bow, prompting Henry to slow clap.


	20. 20 - Home

Chapter 20 - Home

* * *

"It's hard to believe this is my first night home since New York. It seems like so much has happened while I've been away."

The two women stood in the upstairs hallway, having just wished their son a goodnight. Emma's eyes travelled from the brunette, down the hall to her bedroom, then back. She licked her lips. "After everything that came out since… I'd understand if…"

"Shhh," Regina whispered, grabbing the blonde's hand. She nodded her head in the direction of her room. "Come on."

She guided Emma down the hall and into her room before climbing on to Emma's side of the bed and pulling her up on to it. Settling in to a comfortable position she looked Emma in the eyes and squeezed her hand. "Nothing has changed, Emma. Unless… I suppose Neal is available now," Regina teased.

"God no," Emma replied. "That ship hasn't just sailed, it sank."

Regina giggled. "Good, I really don't like competition."

Grinning, Emma asked, "Does that mean I'm something worth competing over?"

"Absolutely." Regina reached up with her free hand and pushed a few stray hairs back off of Emma's face. "You are worth more than you'll ever know."

Emma gave her a teary smile. "I love you."

"And I love you, Emma. I'm so happy you're here with me." Suddenly Regina blushed and looked away. "After Daniel… I thought it was over for me, that I'd never get another chance at love. And I have to admit, I never imagined it would be with another woman."

"I hear that. I was never into girls either, never even thought of it. Then all of a sudden I'm living here with you and our son, seeing you both every day, and now I can't imagine being with anyone else." Emma reached around Regina's shoulders and pulled her closer. "You're it for me."

Regina let go of Emma's hand and pulled her into a hug. Neither woman wanted to be the first to pull back and after a moment they simply fell back onto the bed, arms still wrapped around each other.

As Regina moved to give her a kiss, Emma noticed her trying to stifle a yawn, "Long day, huh?"

Regina nodded, slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah well, reaching in and snatching hearts is bound to take a lot out of you," Emma teased, earning a playful slap.

"You're horrible," Regina admonished, before planting a gentle kiss on Emma's lips. "But I wouldn't have you any other way."

* * *

When Emma woke up alone in the morning she simply smirked and made her way to the kitchen. Sure enough, Regina was already working away on French toast and sausage. She snuggled up to the brunette from behind and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Good morning," she murmured.

Regina turned her head so she could give her a peck on the lips. "Good morning to you, too. Do you think you could let Henry know breakfast is almost ready?"

"Sure thing," Emma replied, pulling away. She left the kitchen and approached the stairs before craning her neck and yelling, "HENRY! BREAKFAST!"

"Seriously, Miss Swan," Regina chastised as the blonde returned to the kitchen.

"Don't you, Miss Swan me, Miss Mills."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Do you think you're mature enough to set the table."

"No," Emma groaned. "But I suppose I could try."

After Henry had come down, and their meal made its way to the table, they all sat down to enjoy breakfast. Henry took a couple minutes to listen in on the playful banter between his mothers before asking, "So are you two officially girlfriend-girlfriend now?"

The two women looked at each other and then back at their son. "I think we are," Regina began, "but I'm not sure how well people will take it when we make our relationship public." Regina looked back to Emma. "Your parents in particular."

"I've been thinking about that," Henry chimed in, making Regina and Emma snap their eyes back to him. "It looks like we're ready for phase three."

"Phase three of what," Emma asked in confusion.

"Operation Mother Goose," Henry replied as if it was obvious.

"Operation Mother Goose," Regina asked skeptically.

"Yeah. It's my plan to get the two of you together."

Emma nearly choked. "Are you telling me that you've been trying to play matchmaker with us?"

Henry rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't say that I've been _trying…"_

Laughing, Emma turned to Regina. "He is so your son."

"Oh now he's my son," Regina complained.

Henry started waving his hands in the air to get their attention. "Hellooo. Can we get back on topic?"

Once his mothers had settled down he continued. "Phase three is all about getting acceptance from Emma's parents, and through them, the rest of the town. The key, is Gramma. Grampa will follow her lead and everyone else will follow the both of them."

"So my future happiness depends on convincing Snow White that I'm good enough for her daughter." Regina shook her head. "Just go ahead and kill me now."

"Relax mom. This isn't going to be that hard," Henry assured her. "I've got this."

"How's that," Emma asked.

"Well," Henry began, "it all starts with a girl's night…"

* * *

When David pulled his truck up in front of the former mayor's mansion, his grandson was already walking out to meet him. Snow stepped out of the truck in her flannel pajamas and held the door open for Henry.

"Whatcha got there," David asked as Henry pushed a basket onto the center of the trucks bench seat.

"When I told mom we we're going to watch some movies tonight she insisted on making up some snacks for us." Henry leaned in conspiratorially. "Including all the ingredients we need for amazing nachos."

David grinned, "Sounds awesome. You ready to go?"

Henry nodded as he put his seatbelt on. Turning to his gramma he said, "Thanks for coming over for Mom's Night. I know it means a lot to both of them that you were willing to come."

 _"If Emma can accept me as her mother then I suppose I can accept Regina as one of his."_ Snow smiled. "I was happy to be invited. Now go have a good time, and try not to let David get into too much trouble."

After making her way into the house, Snow was greeted by her daughter and escorted down stairs to her mini apartment. Bowls with three different kinds of popcorn sat on the coffee table, along with an assortment of nail polishes and mani pedi supplies.

"Oh Emma, I've always wanted to be able to do this with you. Thanks so much for inviting me," Snow gushed.

Emma gave her a hug. "I'm glad you're here too, mom."

Regina came down the stairs a moment later carrying three wine glasses and a pair of bottles. Setting them down she snapped her fingers. "Forgot the corkscrew."

"I got it," Emma replied, before heading back upstairs, leaving Regina and Snow alone together.

Snow wrung her hands for a moment before addressing her step-mother. "I just wanted to say that… I've noticed all that you've done to try and help mend things between David and I and our daughter. I don't really understand the change of heart, but thank you anyway."

"I've been trying to do the right things," Regina replied, almost awkwardly. "It's what Henry wants me to do, so it's what I'm doing. Besides, whatever my differences with you may be, Emma doesn't deserve to suffer because of them."

Snow considered for a moment before extending her hand. "For Emma and Henry."

Regina glanced down at the offered hand and then back up into her step-daughter's eyes before accepting it. "For Emma and Henry."

* * *

Regina sighed. "I don't know if I'll ever stop missing him."

At Emma's prompting, and with the assistance of merlot, the three women had started sharing stories of falling in love. Snow had gone first, telling the story that appeared in Henry's book, but with some added details thrown in. Regina had followed. Talking about her stable boy still hurt, but not as much as it once had. Being with Emma, and feeling whole again, made it easier to let go of the pain and anger that had weighed her down for the previous four decades.

"So Emma, are you going to tell us about Neal now," Regina teased.

The blonde made a gagging sound. "Ughh, no. I thought we were talking about love."

"You did love him once, didn't you," Snow asked in concern. She hated the idea of her daughter having a child with someone she didn't love.

"Yeah," Emma admitted, "but that was a long time and a prison sentence ago. Looking back now, all I can feel is betrayal." Emma took a fortifying gulp of wine. "Besides, I'd rather talk about the present."

Snow and Regina both perked up. "Oh really," Snow asked in delight.

The blonde blushed. "Yeah. I've kinda met someone special."

Practically squealing, Snow crushed her daughters hand in her own and demanded, "Tell me about him. I want to know everything."

Emma rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. "Well… here's the thing… it's not really a he."

Snow could easily read the nervousness in her daughters. "Oh honey, as long they treat you right and make you happy, I really don't care."

Squeezing her hand back, Emma replied, "Thanks, mom."

"So," Regina began, reminding Snow that she was present, "are you going to tell us about _her_?"

Emma blushed. "It's hard to know where to begin. She's just…mine. She's perfect and she's mine and I love her so much."

With both dark haired women smiling at her, it was easy to continue. "I think I have the perfect story that will help you see her as I do. It actually begins with a fight, of all things."

Snow smirked, the memory of smacking her husband with a rock the first time they met, dancing through her head.

"What we fought about isn't important, but what matters is that I was… well… nasty to her. I said some unbelievably cruel things to her, and for a while I thought that was it." Emma took a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. "But I apologized about it almost immediately, and repeatedly afterwards, and she just acted as if it was alright. I hurt her, I know I hurt her, and she let it go, never held it over my head or anything."

"That's what you do when you love someone," Snow replied, giving her a sympathetic smile. "You forgive."

"There's more." Emma paused to take a sip of wine, just a sip this time. "I had nightmares about it. What I'd said really disturbed me. I told her about it one night before bed and she told me I could call her anytime. She didn't care how late it was. If I woke up and I was upset, I could call her and she'd try to make it better."

Emma sniffled. "And she asked me about them, wanted to know what was haunting me. And then she… she took the part of the dream that was hurting me the most… and she found a way to turn it around and let me know that it wasn't true, that she knew it wasn't true, that she knew I loved her, and that she loved me."

Snow pulled her daughter into a hug. "It's amazing, isn't it? How love can heal almost any pain. How love can make you see passed someone's flaws and see only the best parts of another person."

Smiling through her tears, Emma whispered into Snow's ear before pulling back. "Thanks, mom."

"Love is like that," Snow replied, breaking into a smile. "When do I get to meet her?"

Emma laughed as she wiped her eyes. "Well… mom…" She turned to her love and grabbed her hand. "I'd like you to meet Regina."

* * *

Henry opened the door and stepped into Gold's pawn shop three weeks later. He lucked out in that just the person he was looking for was seated behind the counter.

"Hi, Belle," he began as he approached the counter. "Or should I call you grandma now?"

Belle blushed. "Why don't we just stick with Belle."

Henry nodded with a smile.

"What can I do for you, Henry," Belle asked.

"According to the book, Rumpelstiltskin had a huge library in his castle, with tons of books on magic and… everything. And the book implied that you were a huge bookworm and probably one of the smartest people back in the Enchanted Forest."

"I wouldn't say I was the _smartest_ person back home, but did I love a good book," Belle replied, smiling at the boy.

"So do you think you could help me figure something out? I have a problem and I'm pretty sure it's covered somewhere in the lore of the Enchanted Forest, but I don't know where to look," Henry admitted.

"I'd be delighted to help you, assuming you're not out to hurt someone, but I can't imagine that being you."

Henry smiled. "No, it's something to help my moms. It's for phase four."

"Phase four," Belle asked in confusion.

Henry leaned forward and looked about as if making sure they were alone. "Yeah, phase four of Operation Mother Goose."

* * *

The End.


End file.
